A hero and a bard
by Offshoreecho
Summary: A story of a romance between the main character and Haer'dalis. Ok, he's not the coolest, but who doesn't hate Anomen? By the way, Lauren is the coolest hottie ever!
1. He'll bite us where?

"_Heya kiddies" a voice calls from offstage_

_A woman with long brown hair and brown eyes dressed in blue mage robes skips into view. _

"_I'm OffshoreEcho, and today I'm going to share with you a tale of love between two very strange characters. One is the seed of a dead god of murder; the other is the offspring of a demon. Meet Laeleslin, elven ranger who has traveled up and down the Sword Coast fighting evil... including the highly irritating Anomen. Well, enough of me. Let's get to the good stuff."_

"Have I ever told you of my time in the Order?" Laeleslin glanced back over her shoulder to Anomen while picking her way over the body of a mage on the floor.

"We have such stories amongst my people...being underground is just not for the Avariel." Aerie interrupted, looking about her fearfully. Laeleslin grunted in response to both, scanning the room with her sharp eyes.

"Boo wants to know why we are here when there is much evil to be kicked about in the sewers above." The rodent in question squeaked as Minsc placed him back in his pack.

"Raelis wanted us to find someone down here... a bard."

"Why we should concern ourselves in the affairs of a theatre house is beyond me." The knight snorted in disgust and Aerie frowned at Anomen's puerile arrogance.

They group moved back down a long hallway and past an experimentation room, into the lounge beyond.

Laeleslin stopped short in the doorway. Anomen, having followed his leader so uncomfortably close, ran into her, which prompted a boot being slammed down on his foot. "By Helm, my Lady..." he began and quickly trailed off as he spotted the reason for the abrupt halt.

There, standing rather dazedly, was a lithe man of very unusual appearance. "My head clears with stars and liquid fire and I see before me the new holder of my shackles." He did not look up as he spoke, but his voice was soft and rich, laden with a resignation to his fate.

Anomen stepped quickly in front of Laeleslin in an overprotective way and crossed his arms over his chest. "WE are on a noble mission and are to return you in our own good time." Laeleslin snickered, remembering how only seconds before Anomen had laughed off the assignment. The bard did not respond.

Laeleslin quickly pushed Anomen back out of the way. "You'll have to excuse my overpompous friend here. I am Laeleslin, and we have come to rescue you from this dank sewer."

At the sound of the smooth elven voice, the man looked up for the first time. Scars and strange markings lined his handsome face and his eyes were of an unusual color for that of someone clearly holding elven blood. Those piercing eyes focused on the slim warrior standing in front of the overbearing knight, and he took her outstretched hand.

She certainly was a creature of beauty, he thought, for a prime dweller. She had sleek brown hair and delicate features, but her eyes were what caught his attention. Like two gems set in the finest gold, her eyes pulled him into their emerald depths. There was something he perceived there that should not have been in any mortal's eyes. There was... a spark of something, something coursing through her very veins. The bard brought her hand up and touched it to his lips. "My raven, I am Haer'dalis."

Anomen narrowed his eyes and quickly turned his leader's attention back to him. "My Lady we should be getting back to the surface, I would not want you to fall ill."

"Stow it, Anomen." She turned from the two men and rejoined the group.

"Ohh, Boo thinks the funny man behind you will be a good friend to us. Are you going to be a good friend, funny man?"

The bard bowed gallantly to Minsc, who quickly produced Boo for display.

Aerie peeked out from behind her ranger protector and smiled shyly in the bard's direction.

"Quickly now, lest Boo bite us all in hard to reach places!" Minsc ushered the group out of the sewers and into the welcome fresh air and daylight. Seconds after the last of them had crawled clear of the sewer grate, a messenger presented himself to Anomen with dire news.

"Moira? She's dead? Oh, my Lady we must go to my home quickly." The frantic knight marched off in the direction of his home, leaving Laeleslin and the rest to follow after.

Haer'dalis loitered in the foyer of the small estate, staring into the peaceful, still waters of the pool. He would be returning soon to his own plane. What would become of his troupe of bards after their arrival in the glorious Sigil? Anomen's harsh voice pulled him out of his musings and he glanced up to see that the knight had pulled Laeleslin aside and was speaking earnestly to her. The bard raised his eyebrow when he saw her eyes flicker dangerously as the knight stepped close. Her voice was free of hostility, but Haer'dalis was well accustomed to a good act.

"Pick up your things, boys, we're heading to the government district."

As soon as the party had entered the wealthier district of the city, Laeleslin's keen hearing picked up the sound of angry shouting.

"What is it, my raven?" Haer'dalis queried, hearing the shrill voices as well.

The ranger's eyes were fixed on a cluster of men and women circled around a pole amidst a large pile of wood.

"Someone is about to be burned at the stake."

_First story so let me know what you think. Review if you feel up to it, I'd love to hear from you. _


	2. Watch her dance

_Well boys and girls, in the last chapter Haer'dalis and Laeleslin set eyes on each other for the first time. On their way to investigate the death of Anomen's sister, the group stumbles across a lynching! _

_Hm... by the way, to clarify, I am not the owner of any of the Baldur's Gate characters. I believe Wizards of the Coast and Black Isle are, but anywho, back to the story._

It took only a few moments to reach the scene. Angry fanatics swarmed like bees around the figure of a woman tied to a pole, the former shouting about the continuing apostasy of the Drow people. The leader, flail in hand, pointed towards the unfortunate victim of the mob's ire. "Look ye all upon this foul drow that we have bound before ye! A creature of evil and darkness, my brethren! A creature of foulness and deceit!"

Laeleslin examined the creature in question and turned to Minsc, who nodded in recognition. Fixed to the pole, with ebony skin and stark white hair, was a terrified drow woman. It was none other than Viconia, who the group had traveled with during the Iron Crisis in Baldur's Gate.

The fanatic continued. "This creature has foolishly come amongst us, my brethren, thinking that we would be lax in our senses. Tell me what should be done with it!" Demands of "Burn the drow!" were quickly made by the crowd, and the two rangers tensed.

Viconia spoke for the first time, her voice pleading and beseeching. "You rivven are mad! I've done nothing to any of you! I seek only to make my way without molestation! Why have you done this?! Why?!"

"Done nothing?! You are a drow elf, are you not?! That is as good a reason as any!"

As the tirades continued, Laeleslin signaled to Minsc and the others. Anomen, who seemed to be enjoying the prospective execution of the unrighteous, reluctantly shouldered his mace and watched his leader step to the front of the crowd.

Viconia shook with rage and cursed in Drow, then turned her eyes upward in a desperate prayer as the lead fanatic approached the stake bearing a torch. "Shar! My deliverance is in your hands!" She took in the looming fire and the crowd, and suddenly focused on the figure of an elven warrior, a glittering long sword in each hand, at the fore. "...wait, I recognize you! Laeleslin, you must remember me! My life depends on it!"

Without hesitation, Laeleslin sprung nimbly to Viconia's side, and with one deft slice of her blades, cut her free. The leader stood in shock, mouth open. "Allies of the foul creature! Allies of the drow!! This can never be allowed!! The drow dies!!" Several armed men rushed towards the two figures, and the panicked crowd scattered to the winds. Before Haer'dalis could even blink, the twirling blades of his leader had cut two of the charging fanatics down. She twisted and spun so gracefully, blades singing in the soft afternoon light. When she came clear of the bodies, her eyes were alight with that same spark he had first seen in her eyes. What he saw would have frightened any mortal, and certainly was enough to dissuade the remainder of the opposition from challenging her.

Viconia, bearing a conjured flame sword, bore down upon one of them with a lust for revenge while Minsc and Aerie combined metal and magic into a lethal alchemy. Shaking his head, Haer'dalis leaped into action, intent on handling the last of the extremists. "Out of my way, boy," Anomen snarled, pushing the bard aside.

"Yes, you must excuse me, my lord. I wasn't aware that you were armed with more than that hubris of yours."

The knight skidded to a halt and wheeled around. "Impudent cur! Do you know who you are talking to? I am a.." "Oh no need to continue, my lord, I know exactly who you are." With a smirk, Anomen began to turn away. "You're a bumbling idiot with a head the size of the Planar Sphere." The two turned on each other hotly, voices quickly escalating.

Meanwhile, the last of the fanatics, left unattended by the two bickering men, was closing the distance between himself and Anomen's unprotected flank.


	3. Cries like a little girl

_The small woman in blue whistles tunelessly as she walks across the stage... stops... turns, and notices the reader. _

"_Oh hello there, I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Thanks so much for those that reviewed; you won't believe how pleased I was. The last cliffhanger I left you on revealed the irksome Anomen's impending doom... or is it? As much as we'd all love to watch him be dispatched, he'll be around for a bit longer."_

"Under the righteous banner of Helm and the Order I have smote the evil of hundreds and you dare to insult my honor?"

"By the Doomguard, I've been across the very planes of existence and have yet to meet a creature half as arrogant as you." As the two quarreled, the slinking enemy drew ever closer to Anomen.

"Watch your tongue, boy, or" Anomen was cut short as a fine mist of vermillion sprayed Haer'dalis' face.

"I suggest both of you watch your tongues," Laeleslin said coldly, pulling her blade free from the body of the dead man, "and your backs"

"My Lady, you need not have sullied your hands, I would have handled it myself if this prideful whelp had not gotten in my way." Laeleslin merely stared impassively at the knight, sheathed her weapons, and walked away.

Viconia, her voice still brazen with the hunger for battle, waved her flaming sword triumphantly at the elven ranger, and the group gathered around. "I owe you my life, abbil... you have saved me once again. I did nothing to provoke their attack, I tell you! I was passing through the city when the man guessed my identity under my hood."

"Yes, Laeleslin and Minsc are well acquainted with the evil that takes you from your home and throws you in a dark dungeon, evil that waits to be beaten by the fist of justice!" Minsc declared, raising his own large fist to the proverbial evil.

Ignoring the berserker warrior, the drow woman continued. "It would be both a privilege and an honor to join you, Laeleslin. What say you to my proposal?"

"I say you would make a worthy addition to our cause; welcome aboard."

"D-don't let her come with us, Laeleslin! The drow... all of the drow... are cruel, terrible creatures! They kill the Avariel without mercy and cannot be trusted!" Aerie objected quietly, looking to her leader.

"Do you claim to be an Avariel, girl?" Viconia snapped back. "Where are your wings, then? Or did they find you as pathetic and stammering as I do and fled you gladly?"

Laeleslin quickly interposed herself between the two. "Aerie, Viconia traveled with us some seasons ago and has proven herself a trustworthy ally... if not a pleasant one." Before either could voice further protestations, the elf maiden had started off towards the Council of Six Building.

The rustle of busy workers and civil servants filled the room and Anomen quickly pulled Laeleslin over to Bylanna, the woman he had come to see about his sister's murder. Haer'dalis watched them casually from across the room, indifferent to the whole affair. He would only be spending a minute amount of time with this small band before he would leave them forever. Why waste time caring about their quests and problems?

As if his thoughts spoke so that all could hear, Laeleslin turned her gaze away from the conversation between Anomen and the official to glance at him. Her attention was diverted, however, when Viconia and Aerie began to squabble with each other again.

By the time Anomen's business had been concluded and they had left the building, it was well into the evening hours.

"My Lady, could you not have paid attention for a single moment in there?" Anomen asked, irritated.

Disregarding his complaint entirely, she turned to Haer'dalis. "You'll have to forgive me, my friend. I am sorry that we were not able to return you to your companions this day. I hope I can make it up to you by paying for your room at the nearest inn."

"Then we should be heading to the Copper Coronet, my raven... and you are forgiven." Haer'dalis spoke softly and was rewarded by a rare smile from the elven woman.

Night had descended by the time they reached the inn located in the Slums and Laeleslin quickly paid the bartender for the rooms. Minsc, Aerie, and Viconia turned in right away, but the remaining three members of the party stayed behind.

"I understand that Gorion was very much like a father to you." Anomen said, leaning across the table towards Laeleslin.

In return, Laeleslin scooted her chair in the opposite direction and sipped at the wine in her mug. "Yes, he was a mentor and a very wise man... and the kindest person in the world to me." The last part was spoken so softly that only Haer'dalis caught it. Intent on the contents of his glass, the bard said nothing. Anomen, on the other hand, seemed more interested in hearing himself speak than in listening to the ranger.

He began to tell of his father and the terrible life he had growing up. Laeleslin stared at the table, preoccupied in her thoughts. "My lady, you do not seem well tonight, perhaps you should not drink any further."

"It's not the wine, Anomen. I just have a lot on my mind, so I'm sorry if this is not the most interesting thing in the world at the moment." She took a swig of the alcohol to prove her point.

"My Lady, I have gone through more in my struggles to be a member of the Order than you..."

"Anomen," Laeleslin's voice was flat and even, "I watched my father be butchered by my own brother and I caused the death of every last person that raised me. I was thrown into the dungeon of a madman where he tortured my companions and me, two of which are now dead. When he was done, that monster took the last thing in the world from me. So excuse me if I am too 'vexed' to listen to you."

She drained the last of her wine and stood to leave. Intent on having the last word, Anomen put a hand on her arm; it was a mistake. In a flash of movement so fast that the bard almost missed it, Laeleslin threw her elbow back to collide with the knight's rib cage. Her eyes blazed passionately for a moment with the same spark of grave fire. Then, as if suddenly realizing who she had struck, she apologized brokenly and ran for the stairwell leading to the sleeping quarters.

Haer'dalis sprung lightly up from his seat, leaving Anomen on the floor making small unintelligible noises, and ran after her. He caught up to the maiden just outside her door and placed himself in her path. "I prithee, my Lady" he began, imitating Anomen's absurd accent, "it seems that you have dealt a great blow to the ego of yonder fop."

She looked into his eyes and within her stormy gaze he saw a mixture of emotions that he could not place. "My raven" his voice was gentle and earnest this time, "you can tell me what it is. I can see the fire in your blood like a river that floods the lands." For a brief moment the storms cleared within her and he could see what lay beyond. His hand moved to touch a single strand of her golden-brown tresses, but she was gone, slipping past him into the darkness of her room.


	4. The way to a woman's heart

"_One must wonder what is going on in Laeleslin's busy mind at this point. Today we're going to stumble into the quest of the Umar Hills, because I'm not quite ready to do Haer'dalis' quest! sigh Mornings are beautiful, aren't they? ... Unless you wake up to..."_

"My Lady, I need to speak with you." Anomen's harsh voice grated through the tiny space offered by the cracked door.

"Anomen, Mielikki herself is not up at this hour. What could you possibly want from me?" Laeleslin, half asleep, was in no mood for a discussion, least of all from Anomen.

"I wish to apologize for ending our conversation so..." The door slammed shut with an angry thud and Laeleslin waited, her ear to the door, for the knight to leave. When she was sure he was gone, she trudged wearily out to the main room of the Coronet, convinced that she would not be able to salvage the remaining hours of the night.

Only the most avid of patrons remained scattered about the room. She slid onto a stool by the bar and ordered a glass of familiar wine from Bernard.

"Ah, I sense you have an earthy wisdom about you, my sweet elf. I find that most sensual." Salvanus, a not unattractive dark haired elf sidled onto the seat next to her.

She fixed her eyes on a point below the ceiling line, hoping that her lack of an intelligent response might dissuade him from further prattling.

"Ah, the fair folk rarely have time for small talk." He noted, sulking, and left to pursue a less hostile creature.

From across the room, the soft murmur of music drifted to her. She let the notes flow lazily through her thoughts, the smooth and silky voice more heady and intoxicating than the wine at her lips. As she listened, the words became discernable. The mesmerizing voice swam through the room and told of valor and courageous deeds, slowly drawing closer to the elven warrior.

The poignant flow of the song finally encircled Laeleslin completely, and then altogether ceased. A gentle voice called her name and she turned slightly to see Haer'dalis, a stringed instrument in his skillful hands, settled in the seat beside her. "What are you still doing up, my raven? Bad dreams?"

"Not quite. Anomen." The simple statement was all that the bard needed, and he quickly nodded and launched into a conversation. But to her immense surprise, she was not displeased. In fact, it was almost as if she welcomed the bard's witty banter.

For several hours he amused the ranger, slowly pulling her away from the brooding she was so accustomed to. "Look, Laeleslin." his joking voice turned a shade more serious as he pointed towards a grimy window. Beyond the smudged glass danced a myriad of blazing colors. The sun was rising. She caught her breath for a moment, remembering how she would climb the ramparts back at Candlekeep while everyone was still asleep, just to catch a glimpse of the sun as it broke the spell of night. "So beautiful," she whispered, lost in thought.

"Yes, my raven. I agree." But his eyes were no longer on the scene captured through the window frame.

"Back in Candlekeep, you can see the stars in all of their magnificence stretch from the horizon to the sea. Ever since I was a child, my dream was to find just how far that horizon went; to chase the stars into the lush forests and discover the secrets of what made the trees reach out to the heavens." The bard was surprised at the sudden insight into her world. The ranger rarely spoke at all, much less of such an intimate memory. Her eyes were dreamy and distant; she was somewhere else, in a different time and place.

"And did you?"

A sad smile crept across her placid features and she turned to Haer'dalis. "I have found that the horizon runs only as far as your legs can carry you, that the stars melt away from your touch, and that the trees do not lift their branches to the heavens in praise, but in despair."

"Ah, now you have grasped the concept of life, my raven!" He grinned and gestured theatrically. "The green earth has wed herself to entropy and such a fate awaits us all."

"Isn't that a rather depressing notion?" A bit bemused, the ranger ran a hand through her hair and mulled it over. "Well, considering my heritage, I suppose I can't argue with it."

"Your heritage?" As soon the question had left the skald's lips, the thunderous voice of Minsc resounded throughout the Copper Coronet.

"Get ready to face me evil! It is a new day, promising butt kicking for all!"

"It looks like the crew is up and about." Laeleslin sighed, setting her empty wine glass aside and heading upstairs to collect everyone.

The sun the two companions had watched chase away the darkness now winked cheerfully overhead as the group exited the inn. Laeleslin stood, casually leaning against the wall under the shade. "Now then, shall we return you to your friends?"

"No."

"I beg your pardon, Minsc?" The elf turned her head towards the bald warrior.

"Minsc says no! Boo has found a little boy who is in need of mighty heroes like us!" Sure enough, a small child, no older than his twentieth season, stood with his hands fearfully clutching Minsc's large paw.

"What's your name, good sir?" Aerie asked kindly, bending down.

"D-delon. Minister Lloyd sent me to find help because something terrible is happening. People are turning up inside out and mad! Some say it is Umar come back from the dead!" The child's large eyes looked pitifully up at the Avariel, stirring her compassionate nature.

"Oh, Laeleslin, we simply must help. Those people are in need and surely we could at least find the time to see if we can aid them."

"Surfacers can be so stupid." Viconia scoffed in disgust and Aerie glared in return.

"We will go and find the evil that is hiding from righteous fury. And when we find it, woe is them!" Minsc heaved Delon lightly onto his shoulders and strode off in the direction of the city gate with the boy directing him.

Laeleslin shot another apologetic look to Haer'dalis and hurried after her larger counterpart.


	5. One with Nature

"_Today our hero returns to the peace of nature and plunges head first into a quest to save the denizens of the Umar Hills. I've wanted to get some fighting in ever since the second chapter was over, so I'll be exploring that next time. Thanks again to the reviewers, especially those that return to visit Laeleslin and I! By the way, a great way to translate Viconia's Drow is by looking it up on the net. Happy hunting!"_

"Helm's patience, must there be so many animals waiting to beset me with... foulness?!"

Anomen had been uncommonly quiet since his painful rejection the night before, but he could keep silent no longer.

Haer'dalis snickered as the hapless knight scraped the bottom of his boot off in the grass for the second time that day.

"Evil round' every corner... careful not to step in any," Minsc added, while Aerie tried her best not to laugh.

Oblivious to all, Laeleslin stood enjoying the thick scent of pine in the air, her eyes closed in bliss. They had arrived at their destination in the early hours of the morning and quickly sought out the mayor of the unfortunate town. There was much more to Delon's tale; a creature of undefined origin was seeking out the citizens of the Hills and killing them one by one in the dark of night, returning to collect their bodies in the morning.

"S-shouldn't we go and see about those ogres the townsfolk are so worried about?" Aerie inquired, looking towards the wistful elf. Laeleslin shrugged and returned to stand with her companions. She doubted that a group of huge ogres could manage to steal in and out of the town without being noticed.

"What about the witch, abbil? A mage of great power would certainly be capable of such great feats." Viconia suggested, squinting in the light of the sun.

"If she is anything like the witch Minsc and Boo once had, she could only do good things!" Laeleslin smiled fondly at the memory of Dynaheir, Minsc's companion. However, the smile was quickly replaced by a more poignant expression when she recalled the terrible death the witch had suffered at the hands of Irenicus.

"Why don't we go to the ranger's cabin instead?" She had immediately grown suspicious when she learned of the disappearance of the town's ranger, Merella, and was eager to investigate the area.

The band made its way through the woodlands to the cabin in question, Minsc occasionally beating his chest and holding up Boo so that the small hamster could take in a full view of the forest.

Finally a large wooden structure became visible through the tree line and the group entered into the dark cabin without further discussion.

The sharp stench of death clung to the interior of the small house and Aerie recoiled with a sudden gasp.

"Well now, someone forgot to throw out the chamber pot," Haer'dalis joked lightly as Viconia rifled through a journal lying open on the table.

Laeleslin disappeared into the bedroom and quickly reappeared bearing a rolled up map and a dark scowl.

"I think I've discovered what has happened to our little ranger." Viconia extended the journal to Laeleslin, whose visage only grew grimmer.

"What is it, my raven?" Haer'dalis queried, peering over her shoulder as she read.

"We're going to find ourselves a killer."

A thick, unholy darkness smothered the ancient forest that the map had indicated. "This... this is not right. Boo wishes to know where the animals and birds are." The massive ranger stared into the blackness of the woods, daring anything evil to come within reach of his giant sword.

Within only brief minutes of their arrival, the challenge was answered. An anguished howl split the air, bringing the party up short, their drawn weapons ringing in the eerie silence of the woods.

"There!" Aerie pointed through the inky darkness to the form of a large, hulking werewolf.

"You will not steal my vengeance," it snarled menacingly as it retreated into a nearby cave.

"Ulu l' tah!" Viconia grinned wickedly and rushed after the creature with the rest of the party quickly bringing up the rear.

"Oh, my!" Aerie's horrified voice echoed through the cave. The beast held in her claws the body of a young man, his blood newly splattered across the dirt floor. But as they watched, the wolf's form, away from the enchanting rays from the moon, began to rapidly shrink into that of a human woman, the dark hair covering her body melting away into skin.

"Man-things! Curse you and curse the world! Can a wolf not enjoy her last meal in peace?" Her voice was raspy and gruff, as if she was unaccustomed to shaping the words with her tongue.

"W-we've come to put an end to the evil of you and your wolves! You have preyed on your last innocent!" The Avariel trembled as she spoke.

The woman's laugh was sharp and bitter. "My wolves? No longer, fool. The pack has fallen under the fell magicks of the Shade Lord. Your _hunting_ has gone awry." She spat the words out like acid in her mouth.

Anomen raised his mace threateningly. "You suggest that this 'Shade Lord' is responsible, yet here you gnaw on the carcass of a human. Why would I believe such idiocy?" Haer'dalis repressed a laugh and an opportunity to mock the priest of Helm.

"This man I killed only to gather strength to face the Shade Lord," the woman hissed in reply.

"Stop, Anomen." The knight turned to look questioningly at Laeleslin.

"But, my Lady, she is clearly evil."

"Why is that, Anomen?" Her voice was soft but her raised eyebrows betrayed her stormy interior.

Anomen spoke very slowly, annoyed that such a concept should be so hard to grasp. "She is a werewolf."

"Lycanthropy is a disease," the ranger quickly retorted.

In frustration, the knight pulled at his hair. "Why are you defending the beast?"

"Because," Laeleslin spoke frigidly, "I was infected with the madness of that 'beast' for weeks."

Satisfactorily enough, Anomen was stunned into silence.

"Now then," the ranger addressed the hostile woman, "who is this Shade Lord and what has he done to your pack?"

The werewolf woman, Anath, told the gruesome tale of the murder of her pack by the Shade Lord, who had newly begun to poison the once glorious Temple of Amaunator nearby.

"I will hide no more. Will you allow me revenge or do I have to fight you as well?" She is true to her word, Haer'dalis mused. She is prepared to leap at our throats at any moment... hopefully she starts with Anomen.

"This Shade Lord seems to be the evil! We will help you and together he will be crushed under the boots of goodness!" Minsc's voice boomed out of the cave for all to hear.

A satisfied look crossed Anath's countenance. "Meet me in the temple to the east of this den." As she moved towards the opening of the cave and the shadows cast by the moonlight, her form began to bulge with muscle and sinew once again. "Be wary of the shadows that lurk there. Make sure you are prepared before you enter it." She lumbered off into the darkness and disappeared from view.

"By Helm's glory, my Lady..."

"Oh shut up. You were better off not talking."


	6. Haunted by Slumber

_Offshoreecho, chin resting gently in her hands, stares out at the reader. "You know, I need more killing. Yay violence! This one may be a bit more than PG but... if you've been following the Anomen bashing without being too horribly offended, then you should be fine. On to the bloodshed!"_

"Laeleslin, it's a trap!" Anath's desperate wail rose over the mass of twisting shadows engulfing her.

The glittering blades of the ranger sliced through several shadows that had broken away from the pack, but the steel did little to slow the fiends that were smothering the werewolf woman.

"Haer'dalis!" "I'm already on it!" The bard's voice became a hum across the battlefield, his hands weaving through runes of power and magic.

Viconia and Aerie had busied themselves behind the bard, their minds focused on the difficult task of turning the undead monsters that moved steadily towards them.

Minsc, swinging his enormous sword wildly, waded into combat, moving to aid the werewolf.

Anath's voice was heard again over the fray. "Use the mirror... to the left of the crystal there to gather what light is left and avenge my pack!" The last of her strength used, she was swallowed up by the black horde, which now focused its full attention on the new invaders.

Laeleslin's sharp eyes scanned the scene as she fought. Anath had fallen in between a very large ancient mirror covered with muck and a great crystal sitting on a pedestal. What purpose the mirror and gem had served before the decline of the temple of Amuanator was unknown, but the werewolf had spent her last breath on them and they surely must be of importance for the current skirmish.

"Now I see you fail at not only flight but also turning." Viconia's sharp insult lashed out at the Avariel priestess.

"Ugh, you don't seem to be doing a better job."

Magic missiles from Haer'dalis pounded into the smoky ethereal being of the shadows, but they continued to melt out of the darkness towards the group.

A dull glimmer of moonlight fell across Laeleslin's face as she ripped open another shadow fiend. She glanced up at the mirror for a brief second to see the winking magic of Selune, perhaps reclaiming the mirror for her ally Amaunator, as the same rays that had turned Anath's skin to fur sparkled brilliantly in the gem. The mirror had caught a small portion of the light and glimmered weakly.

"That's it!" With a powerful leap, Laeleslin was clear of the fiends and raced towards the mirror. She skidded across the slick stones and, placing her hands against the mirror, heaved.

Nothing happened.

The hissing of the enemy closing in on her and the battle cries of her companions sounded loudly in her ears as the ranger threw her weight against the artifact, trying to maneuver it into the direct light of the gem.

Soft tendrils closed around her legs and arms with a frighteningly cool touch, drawing her away from her vital task.

"Get... off me," she grunted, pushing the shadows back, then shoved the mirror with all of her Bhaalspawn might; it moved.

A sudden burst of searing pain caused Laeleslin to cry out sharply as one of the increasingly insistent shadows raked his claws through her leather armor, tearing at her flesh beneath. A blur of whirring swords left the offending creature a heap on the stone floor.

Slowly, the elven maiden rotated the mirror until a flash of light reflected from the mystic glass dazzled her eyes. The shadows besetting her let out piercing shrieks, and each disintegrated without further ado.

"Ohhh, look at the pretty light, Boo." Minsc, grabbing Viconia and his witch, rushed for the safety of the light while Haer'dalis easily broke away from his attackers to join them. Like lemmings, every last shadow was caught within the magic of the mirror and fell to their graves.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, the elf maiden turned towards her exhausted companions. She looked at them, one by one, and a sudden realization hit her.

"Where is Anomen?!"

"Oh, I t-think he said something about waiting in the village for us," Aerie answered timidly, gripping her staff as a shield between her and the ranger's impending fury.

Surprisingly, Laeleslin said nothing, her face a mask of impassivity. Instead, she turned away from the group and in one swift motion, sent her long sword flying through the air. It made a blazing streak towards a nearby ancient oak, where it embedded itself firmly into the bark.

With her back turned to the band, Haer'dalis noticed the gouges in the ranger's armor and the crimson stains beneath it. "My raven... you are wounded."

"I'm fine," she insisted, walking away to retrieve her weapon.

"No, you're not," he responded adamantly, noting that her normally fluid gait was slightly off and staggered.

"Don't be," she pulled at the weapon implanted into the wood "silly, of course I'm fine."

Firm hands closed around her own, causing her to falter and turn. "No. You are injured."

Recalling how Anomen had rolled around on the Coronet floor, Haer'dalis flinched expectantly. But whether it was the ranger's increasing weakness from her injury or something more that saved him from a beating he never knew. He quickly removed his hands.

"Aerie," Laeleslin called out to the Avariel. The small elf flitted to the ranger's side and began to administer to her, chanting soothing words of healing while the others scanned the darkness.

Laeleslin finally freed her sword and took a quick look at her drained companions. They have marched all night to this place, she thought to herself. She glanced about the twisted forest and frowned. It would not be a good place to call it a night, but it would do. "Make camp, boys and girls."

The group huddled together under the light of the gem and all were quickly asleep, save for the lone figure of the elven ranger propped against the ruined frame of the mirror.

She sat there for many hours, vigilantly protecting the slumber of her friends, and did not wake the second sentry long after her hours were over. However, as soon as she felt sleep begin to steal towards her, she rose and shook Haer'dalis awake, after which she dropped to her bedding and fell away into darkness.

"Stand." The wintry, calculating voice filled the ranger's mind. She was in a foreign hall, her friends beside her. She might have been comforted by their presence, but she could feel the evil aura of Irenicus behind her, and her chief concern was for their safety.

"You rest each night uneasy. Yes, you are weary. You struggle daily." In horror, she found that she could not move. The magic of the wizard held her rooted in place. Could she never escape this man? Was she not safe from him even in the warm embrace of sleep? As if reading her thoughts, Irenicus continued speaking.

"It will not end, you know. Not until you acknowledge what you are." And what am I? I'm the offspring of evil, what more does he want from me?

"You walk as a mortal, taking no advantage from your heritage, from your talents within. So many things of flesh are greater than you. Walk among them, these _beasts_ that are less than you are. See their strength; see how easily you fall to their muscle and skill." He spat out the word 'beast' in the same manner that Anomen had described Anath.

Before her eyes emerged the outline of.... herself. The slim warrior bearing no armor and completely weaponless stood vulnerable as a huge demon was summoned beside her. The apparition merely choked out that it was hopeless before being ripped apart.

The commanding voice of Irenicus pulled Laeleslin away from the carnage. "Why do you stand for this? Why do you submit to the flesh, when death is bred in your bones? Do you realize the power you might hold? When the world of flesh is beneath you, even creatures mysterious and magical will fall!" His excited tone was far more disturbing than his usual lack of emotion ever could be.

The helpless maiden stood before Laeleslin again, but this time there was a wicked gleam in her eyes. Three creatures even more lethal than the demon were quickly summoned, ready to tear her limb from limb. A lich, mind flayer, and a vampire all flung themselves into battle, but the wicked fire behind the ranger's eyes manifested itself. From the specter's fingers flew magic of the nature that Laeleslin had never seen, and the evil creatures one by one created small piles of ashes where they had stood. With a maniacal laugh, the elf vanished.

She turned to face her captor, shaken to the very core. Beside the evil monster was... Imoen. Sudden images of Khalid, Gorion, and Dynaheir stung the ranger painfully, but none more so than the sight of her beloved sister at the beck and call of Irenicus. "Follow, and receive the gift that you are owed by the blood in your veins. Follow, if only to protect the weak that fell because of you." With a small flick of the mage's fingers, lightning lanced across the room towards Imoen. Powerless to stop it, Laeleslin watched her best friend slump to the ground and cried out as blinding white pain scorched her own body.

"Laeleslin!" Hands gripped the elf's shoulders and pulled her away from her nightmare. Haer'dalis' concerned face was framed by the mirror's soft light. "It seems that you are haunted by more than the demons we fight while we are awake, my raven."

Without a word, Laeleslin put her face in her hands and began to cry. Stunned, Haer'dalis pulled her into his arms and for the first time in his life, was speechless.


	7. A tiefling's musings

_This chapter is going to be pretty short due to the structural nature of the story, but also because I have a question to pose to the readers. Would you guys be interested in continuing the Anomen/Haer'dalis rivalry or ditching Anomen and having the main antagonist as Aerie? Let me know what you think and thank you so much for those that review; it helps me endlessly._

Haer'dalis sat at Laeleslin's abandoned sentry post, watching over his companions. They would be rising to face the challenges of the day any minute now. He picked out the sleeping figure of Laeleslin in the darkness, who had finally returned to her bed roll.

Because the ranger was of elven descent, she did not enter into slumber in the same manner that those of other races did. Instead, she and the other elves in the party practiced the age old magic of reverie. She slept with her eyes open and distant, host to a collage of vivid memories, which could be the bringers of joy or incredible pain.

Only a short time ago the bard had been diverted from his watch by the sound of Laeleslin's voice. Drawing his weapons and spinning around to face any would-be attackers, he found the ranger still deep in reverie. Her soft whispers quickly grew louder and more frantic, and out of concern he woke the distressed maiden. The panic and complete fear on her face returned to him. The woman, who the bard had always known as having mastered complete control over her emotions, had sat crying in his arms.

Eventually Laeleslin had calmed down sufficiently to return to her sleep, but it took much longer for the skald's busy mind to slow. What had the stoic ranger seen that had unnerved her so greatly?

Laeleslin stirred and her eyes focused before moving past him to another place. A rare smile flitted across her face as she dreamt, perhaps of happier times. The light, charming grin transformed her characteristically solemn countenance into that of a child again. He had never seen her smile like that before, as if there were not a care in the world.

Away from the unnaturally dark forest, Anomen sat watching the sun rise. They'll be running back begging for my help at any moment, he thought to himself. Of course, what else could she do with merely that idiotic ranger and the mewling whelp to protect her? By Helm, is he ever annoying.

"Excuse me, Sir." At the respectful, if not unwittingly used, address, Anomen looked down. Three teenage boys stood, looking slyly at one another.

"Excuse me, Sir, but since you're such a great and strong warrior, we were wondering if you could buy us some swords and ale." Anomen puffed out his chest in pride, and, his ego sufficiently revived, tossed his hair in the wind.

"But of course, boys. I shall get your swords and ale!" After he had accomplished the heroic deed, the boys collectively scampered away from him to make better use of both dangerous items.

"Ah..." the knight sighed satisfactorily, "another tale to regale Laeleslin with."


	8. A knight's folly

_Just to clear up any confusion, chapter seven was composed brief minutes after the events of chapter six, and is meant to reflect the feelings of Haer'dalis before, during, and following. Sorry if that was a bit hard to follow... for one of you. Anyways, I have not decided yet what to do with Anomen/Aerie, so keep telling me what you want to see happen._

"My Lady! By Helm, it is good to see you again; I have been waiting here for days."

The murderous look Laeleslin shot at the approaching knight made him stop in his tracks.

"For the sake of us both, Anomen, I think it would be best that you continue that whole not speaking bit you've been practicing."

Anomen, deflated, yet always indomitable, fell into line behind the Tiefling, ready to speak at any given sign of weakness.

"Oh this is most joyous news!" Within the dim house of the mayor, the group was rewarded for their bravery and courage. In compensation for their efforts in destroying the Shade Lord, the party was gifted with Merella's derelict cabin and a fine suit of leather armor to replace Laeleslin's ruined shell.

After the long trek back out to the cabin, they found it had already been cleared out by a small group of thankful villagers. The stench of death had been replaced by the light waft of lavender and the floors were now mopped clean.

Leaning against the sturdy doorframe, Laeleslin took everything in with more than a small amount of wonder. Noticing the bewildered look on her countenance, Viconia raised an inquiring eyebrow. "What is it, abbil?"

The ranger turned her head to the drow, her eyes still bright with marvel. "I guess I'm not used to people being kind to me."

Overhearing the ranger's response, Haer'dalis moved to stand beside her. "I sympathize with you, my raven; I have had my share of ungracious audiences." His voice was touched with true empathy.

"Really now? And I thought I was the only one who could not stand your singing."

Caught completely off guard, the bard's jaw dropped. Then he saw the mirth sparkling in the elf maiden's eyes and quickly collected himself, laughing at the unexpected teasing.

"Come, Haer'dalis, we have property to explore." Laeleslin pulled the bard out the door and the two had gotten as far as the nearest stand of trees before Anomen spotted their departure.

"My Lady, you are not safe alone. Allow me to accompany you."

"Does he not see me standing here?" Haer'dalis stared incredulously, crossing his arms.

The ranger continued walking, leaving the two hostile men behind her to follow.

"So what kind of great feats did you accomplish while we were gone, Anomen?" Haer'dalis glanced sidelong at the cleric of Helm, bating him into an incriminating discussion.

"Well, if you must know, I have been providing for the needs of the urchins around this town." Laeleslin ignored them both, her eyes focused on the cave they were fast approaching.

"Providing for what, my dear knight, their exasperation and annoyance?"

"Are you always this bold to your betters, bard?"

"Oh and who might that be, that squirrel yonder?"

"I warn you, boy..."

"Shut up. Both of you." Laeleslin's interjection silenced them as they entered the dark confines of the cave.

"Anomen..." Laeleslin's eyes pierced the gloom.

"Yes, my Lady?" The knight replied a bit too eagerly.

"What was that you said about the children?"

"I provided some necessary equipment for them; really I don't think they could have gotten along without..." The knight's reply was drowned out as three terrified youths rushed past the group, their racing hearts bent on nothing but finding the light of day once again.

"You mean those children?" There was ice in the elf's voice and, fearing a boot in the shin, Anomen retreated several steps.

"Uh, yes." The assault did not come, however, as the maiden's eyes had trained themselves onto a very conspicuous treasure chest.

"My raven," Haer'dalis stood beside her, his short swords drawn, "does that chest not look out of place?"

"It is not out of place... it is not a chest at all." Laeleslin's blades cleared their scabbards as she approached the object guardedly.

"No need, my Lady, I will handle this." Anomen strode past the ranger to the chest, his mace at the ready, and nudged the wooden siding with his boot.

Nothing happened.

The knight turned away from the box and shrugged. The shadows behind him suddenly deepened and the strongbox became animated, its lid rolling up and revealing a set of razor sharp teeth.

"Anomen!" Laeleslin's small frame flew through the air and collided with the knight, throwing them both to one side. Leaping to her feet, Laeleslin threw herself upon the crate, plunging her twin blades deep into the hinged lid. Screeching, the mimic reared back, pitching the ranger off.

Sparks flew from the bard's fingertips, setting the wood ablaze with a flame arrow.

Anomen, still dazed from the impact of the warrior maiden, doggedly advanced on the enemy.

Drawing a concealed knife, Laeleslin attacked the creature with renewed vigor, while Haer'dalis peppered it with a sally of magic missiles. At last, the monster's sturdy frame gave a violent shudder and was still.

Pulling her swords from the remains of the mimic, Laeleslin spotted a bottle of ale and three abandoned bastard swords on the floor of the cave.

"Fool," the ranger hissed, turning on Anomen hotly, "have you no sense? You allow those children to intoxicate themselves and then hand them weapons??"

The cleric, his irresponsible actions discovered, lifted his hands up defensively.

"Oh, just get away from me. I don't want to look at you."

The elf maiden, sending waves of animosity through the air, stormed out of the cave, leaving the smirking Tiefling and chagrined priest to trail in her wake.


	9. Ding Dong the knight is gone

_Wow, I'm glad that's over with! I'm back and I must apologize for the long absence. I've been getting over a rather nasty spider bite and an even nastier staph infection that followed it, but now that the gaping hole in my leg has begun to close up, I am well and ready to write! And for the readers who are a bit miffed as to how uncharacteristically arrogant Anomen is: I did not intend for Anomen to be a dynamic character; instead he is flat/static. Yes, he may have evolved into a personality that is somewhat stock over the course of my writings, but that suits the purpose of the plot just fine. After all, the story is not about Anomen and his changing feelings or how deep he is or even the relationship between he and Laeleslin. It's about the Bhaalspawn protagonist and Haer'dalis. And, as I have said before, you won't have to put up with it for too much longer. Oh, and my sincere apologies about my frequent spelling abuse of the class Scald. Scald with a "c"... bard class...and he's not even that, he's a Blade. _

The cabin door was thrown open and a furious Laeleslin stormed into the room.

"Finally, I was wondering what was keeping you and the two weaklings." Viconia's voice drawled out as she rose from where she had waited, sprawled on the bed.

"What is going on? Boo wants to know where the two little men are." Laeleslin turned her fiery gaze on her ranger companion.

"Haer'dalis should be in any second."

"What about Anomen?" Aerie spoke timidly, fearful of her leader's anger.

"Anomen will not be coming with us." A hush fell over the room as the group took in the weight of the ranger's simple statement until the door swung open to admit the Tiefling bard, breaking the silence.

"Well now, I have never stared so closely into death's eyes ere now." Minsc turned to Haer'dalis, eyes bright with curiosity.

"Haven't you heard, Minsc?" The berserker merely scratched his head at the Blade's question.

"We were exploring the depths of a dimly lit, foul smelling cave when, in the midst of our tiny band, a fire breathing draconian devil rose up, intent on consuming us all in her rage. Isn't that right, Laeleslin?" Haer'dalis gestured towards the elven warrior, who stared impassively back.

"What happened then, little man?" Minsc, positively mesmerized by the bard's tale, beamed excitedly.

"The dragon, my large friend, threw her head back and, spouting searing flames about the cave, snatched Anomen in her wicked claws and," and throwing his own head back dramatically, "it was a slaughter of which the likes have never been seen. The beast showed mercy to me and I escaped unscathed... Anomen is not so blessed by Tymora."

"No! A brave warrior has fallen here! He must be avenged!" With a roar, Minsc yanked his great sword free from his sheath, prepared to slay the "dragon" that had made short work of Anomen.

"Relax, Minsc. I said Anomen was not coming with us; I did not say he was dead." Laeleslin's voice was still hard, but her anger had dissipated.

"But... the bard says..." Minsc, dropping the sword, fumbled around in his pack for his hamster companion.

"The dragon did not kill the knight, Minsc," Haer'dalis placed a friendly arm around the giant man's shoulder, "she merely crushed his pride."

Laeleslin, a hint of a smile on her face, slung her pack across her back and strode out into the glare of daylight. "Come on guys, we're going back to Athkatla."

Viconia, ever Drow, took it upon herself to set the befuddled Minsc straight. "Laeleslin has kicked him out of the party, insipidly ignorant one." Taking up her mace in disgust, the ebony maiden followed her companion into the woods.

"My raven?" Several hours into the march, as twilight had begun to fall, Haer'dalis moved to Laeleslin's side.

"Yes, Haer'dalis?" She kept her eyes trained straight ahead and did not turn.

"You mentioned you were infected with lycanthropy once. How did that come about?" Half expecting no response, the bard sighed with relief when Laeleslin finally spoke.

"My friends and I were shipwrecked on a small island off of the Sword Coast that happened to be populated with werewolves and wolfweres. We were unwittingly exposed to the disease and were forced to kill the leader of the colony."

"Now that would have been a combination! You and Minsc are worthy opponents in battle as it is, how much more with the power of another being coursing through your veins." The ranger looked up sharply, but said nothing.

Suddenly recalling the conversation several days ago in the Copper Coronet when the ranger had briefly mentioned her heritage, Haer'dalis' voice lost every hint of humor. "What is it, Laeleslin?"

The elf halted in her pace and, surprised, the bard followed, watching each party member turn questioningly, then continue on.

"You can trust me, my raven." Placing himself between Laeleslin and the figures of the party, Haer'dalis looked into the ranger's emerald eyes.

"Haer'dalis..." As if struggling to shoulder a great burden, the elf's face contorted for a moment. "I am... different from most others."

"Of that I am sure, Laeleslin."

"I mean my parents. My father was not at all elven... or mortal."

"We share that in common then, my ranger. My own father was a demon. But you are not at all Tiefling. You are something else."

"...A daughter of Bhaal." Expecting the familiar response of mistrust, fear, and inevitably hate, Laeleslin turned away, prepared to rejoin the others.

"My raven," Haer'dalis' hand stayed the ranger's progress. The wiry elf instinctively spun around, bringing the two into suddenly intimate proximity and Haer'dalis, catching the sweet undercurrent of lilac from the ranger's hair, did not finish his sentence. For a moment, the two stood motionless, then the bard slowly leaned in towards Laeleslin.

"Laeleslin! Boo is getting impatient!" Minsc roared from far ahead and Laeleslin, face flushed crimson, raced to catch up, leaving both bard and moment behind.


	10. Just Tools

_Well, I hope you guys liked that last one and thanks again for reviewing. And for those that asked... twas a brown recluse. And as another side note, yes, Anomen is meant for humor purposes. I'm sorry if you take him too seriously and think that he's not funny at all; he's very funny to me and that's usually all that I care about. Also, if you don't like violence and the occasional blunt comment (as you will see later) then I apologize, but it's not bad... just not G. Good thing I'm not rated as such, hm?  
  
_

sigh "I can't help but remember what the forests of the north looked like from the sky. They're... they're so majestic." Aerie, her face to the sun, recalled her days as a winged elf.

"In the Underdark, you would be slaughtered for such pitiful weakness." Viconia too had more than her share of memories of a homeland far removed.

"Is that why they threw you out then, Viconia?" The Avariel and Drow bickered back and forth for several minutes before Laeleslin had heard enough.

"Did you sign up on this team to adventure or did you do it to grate on my nerves? By Mielikki, I am so tired of fighting with my own companions more than the enemies at my back..." Laeleslin trailed off as she caught the faint sound of a twig snapping to her right.

The dense undergrowth running parallel to the path stood conspicuously silent, devoid of the usual twitter of birds and forest creatures.

"We should not have let her come with us; she is evil and conniving and... I can't stand her!"

"Ohhh, have I ruffled your feathers, wingless one? I seem to recall you not having any."

A sudden movement from the brush caught Laeleslin's eyes and, throwing herself behind the nearest tree, she shouted a warning. "Get down!"

Before he could react, Haer'dalis felt a sharp biting pain in his shoulder as a crossbow bolt was released and a sly voice rang out.

"Right then boys, half the loot goes to whoever can take the little girlie behind the tree there." The leader, a dark, greasy looking rogue melted out of the shadows and reloaded his crossbow while a handful of his men appeared from the brush and rushed towards the group.

No sooner had the attackers revealed themselves than the heroes spun into action. Haer'dalis yanked out his two short swords and, dodging and feinting, took out one of the rogues. Viconia and Aerie immediately began chanting, their hands spread out to shape the primal forces called by their lips. Moments later, one of the attackers was frozen in place as he prepared to strike the Avariel and the rest scattered under the influence of chaotic command. Minsc leapt upon the closest bandit with his massive sword, his speed defying his large frame while Laeleslin drew out a great bow from her back and, sighting along the slender wooden frame, snuffed out the leader who had been so bold as to ambush them.

It was only a matter of time before the battle had ended and, sheathing their weapons, the group turned to each other.

"Fools," Viconia sneered, "bandits should know better than to attack a group of armed adventurers."

"Minsc and Boo know much of bandits! They like to steal metal from us to use for their dark purposes. Well, evil: metal you shall have with a side of justice!"

"What could provoke them to attack us like that? Surely they saw how many of us there were... right?" Aerie bit her lip as she shook out her tangled robes.

"They want money, Aerie; it is as simple as that." Laeleslin answered the mage's question and turned to Haer'dalis, who had begun to examine the bolt still protruding from his shoulder.

"Boo thinks you should definitely get that looked at; it has begun to change colors and you do not look so well."

"Nor do I feel well, my large friend. Aerie, Viconia..." Trailing off mid sentence, the bard's knees buckled and he fell to the soft earth.

Four faces peered over the collapsed form, the two healers commenting as they worked.

"It's poisoned..."

"I don't know how he kept fighting; the wound looks terrible."

"Don't you die on me, Haer'dalis. I have yet to get you back to the play house." Laeleslin's smooth voice reached out to the barely coherent bard.

"Yes, Miss Raelis." The eyes of the companions turned to the ranger, who merely tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Neutralize that poison; it's getting to his head."

"Raelis... your boss?" Laeleslin asked the question casually as she and Haer'dalis approached the Promenade several hours later.

Haer'dalis turned to the ranger with his eyebrow tilted questioningly. He could only recall fleeting images of the battle and had no memory of his blunder.

"When Aerie and Viconia were tending to your wounds... you called me Raelis."

A strange look crossed the bard's face before he spoke. "Raelis is much more than my employer... She introduced me to music and poetry and the beauty that is shaping words. She brought me through the planes and together we explored magic and the stars and oblivion itself."

Haer'dalis turned to see Laeleslin watching him intently. He suddenly felt as if his soul was being laid bare under her stare; the same way he had felt when he first looked into her eyes and again in the Council of Six building.

"You two are lovers." It was not a question. Her voice was soft and without emotion.

The Blade was silent for a moment before answering. "Something like that... Raelis... she does not care at all for those around her. She is the smith and we are all but tools to her. Just tools..."

The ranger's face was completely unreadable, as if a large barrier had risen between the two figures. She turned her gaze towards the road and did not say another word for the remainder of the trip.


	11. Through the conduit

_For once, I haven't much to say. Keep the comments coming and thanks so much for any corrections on my mistakes!_

"And the errant actor doth return! Laeleslin, I thank you, for you have brought joy to this dark house. Haer'dalis, have you the gem?" Raelis Shai, the grey skinned and fiery haired bard extended her slender hand in welcome. Her voice was assured and cold. Two more bards stood behind her, their eyes eager and yet strained from the long wait. Laeleslin, at the mention of the gem, shot a curious glance at Aerie, who only shrugged. The group had been told nothing of a gem.

With an agile leap to the top of the stage, Haer'dalis was reunited with his bard troupe once again. "We bring it with us, Miss Raelis, that we might have all the more reason to celebrate."

A satisfied smile played on the features of the leader of the troupe as she took an odd looking gem from Haer'dalis. "Ah, Mekrath's prize! It shall be our salvation yet! Here, Laeleslin," she tossed a jingling bag at the ranger, "300 gold for the return of my bard and 700 for the gem."

Laeleslin said nothing as she pocketed the gold, musing over how the extra planar woman had given a larger reward for the gem than for Haer'dalis. She watched Raelis, who had turned towards her companion. "Haer'dalis, tell them the truth of what we are about while I prepare the summoning of the conduit."

"Yes, Miss Raelis. Ah, my friends, there be a tale between us that is long overdue: forgive me if I have not informed you of the weight of yon gem. It is not a worthless bauble for the stage. In truth, it be something far more interesting: a planar jewel... a nexus between the Astral Plane and the Prime Material Plane. Few of you primes would sense its presence, Mekrath did and so it was that I fell into his keeping. Luckily, he had not rid himself of it before your timely rescue."

"Why did you lie to me, Haer'dalis?" Laeleslin's voice was characteristically devoid of emotion, but the bard could sense hurt behind the ranger's words. She stared up at him impassively, but her eyes had grown stormy.

"Tis true, I lied to you and not once as you might think, but twice... The stone was not even mine but Mekrath's and I was sent to steal it... I'm just an actor on the run, nothing more." The bard faltered and found he could no longer meet Laeleslin's gaze. "A single play has left me a pitiful man, my raven. A single, wrongheaded satire I didn't even write..."

Laeleslin did not respond, her mind turning over the events several weeks back. She and the others had traveled to the sewers in search of the missing bard and had found him in the clutches of Mekrath, a powerful mage. The band had been forced into combat after Mekrath would not release the bard... but if Haer'dalis had been the true thief...

"What play, Haer'dalis, and how?" Aerie, uncomfortable with the silence in the room, continued the conversation.

The Blade muttered to himself, as if he had not heard the Avarial's question. "Twas only the Lady of Pain herself, Mistress of all Sigil, who, through her unplumbed whimsy, sent us careening through a portal to emerge where we are now, in this place known as Amn."

"Boo and I never knew acting was so dangerous!" Minsc, enthralled as always with a good tale, stroked the fur of the little rodent in his hand.

"Aye, my friends, one does not satirize Duke Rowan Darkwood, factol of the Fated, and expect to live a life of safety..."

Raelis explained smoothly. "A wretched Cambion hunts us as we speak and has apparently tracked us down to the Prime Material, though he has yet to make his move. Which brings us back to where this whole tale began, that is to the planar stone you rescued from Mekrath's lair."

"Of course, the planar stone and whatever it is that Raelis is summoning." Viconia's voice drawled, her eyes alight with interest.

"To travel from between planes, we birds of flight can pass through what are called young conduits, whipping snake-like tubes that writhe within the Astral Plane, their heads and tails clinging to different pieces of the multiverse. The planar stone," Raelis fingered the smooth surface of the glittering gem, "acts like a charmer's pipe upon these conduits, bringing them to us that we might enter and pass through." Raelis disappeared into a backroom and the figures on the stage stood in silence until an eerie music floated to them.

"Miss Raelis is playing the stone," Haer'dalis said anxiously, glancing towards the unseen figure, "that our company might slip through our hunter's grasp and find another stage. The play must go on, you know." The bard looked up at Laeleslin, whose keen eyes were still on him. He found he could say nothing.

"Haer'dalis," the music had stopped and Raelis' voice could be heard again, "everyone, gather round. The stone is ready to begin the summoning..."

The graceful leader returned into view and stood by Haer'dalis' side. "As the conduits open they will bring something with them. We will do what we can to hold off whatever beasts come, the better to determine which route be safest. Laeleslin, your presence here would be appreciated. Will you stay with us?"

The sound of two swords clearing their sheaths rang through the heavy air and Laeleslin was suddenly beside the two bards. "We shall hold off these creatures as best as we are able."

Raelis and the others clustered around a theatrical prop placed on the stage, a roughly constructed doorway, and Laeleslin moved to follow. "Wait, Laeleslin." Haer'dalis, who had not moved from his spot, touched Laeleslin's hand lightly.

"I am sorry, my raven... I did not wish to part this way."

Laeleslin pulled her hand away and kept walking. "Just tell me when you find the right tunnel."

The ritual came into action as soon as the three bards from the Sigil Troupe began chanting, white light emanating from their hands and bodies. Haer'dalis, his swords drawn, waited alongside Minsc and Viconia. The form of a portal began to take shape through the doorway of the prop and as suddenly as it had formed, a quasit stepped through. The creature's thin, leathery wings flapped and its tiny head twisted sharply as it spotted the exposed casters. A fire arrow from Aerie sent the creature screaming to the floor, but the victory was short lived, as several more beasts poured through the opening.

While the others busied themselves dispatching the enemies, four unexpected guests had arrived: bounty hunters. One stepped forward and, ignoring the presence of Laeleslin and her friends completely, addressed Raelis.

"Good day, Raelis. Will you permit me to stop this madness?" With a gesture of his hand, all save the leader of the bards was silenced and Laeleslin found her muscles frozen. "Thank you."

"Who are you and what business do you have with us?" Raelis' cool, controlled voice was not so confident.

"Oh, just an employee of an old acquaintance of yours in Sigil. Duke... what was his name? Darkwood? Yes, Duke Darkwood, that was it, wasn't it... You really oughtn't have done that play you know..."

"We were set up. We performed it under the assumption that it was fiction. The playwright never told us otherwise." Raelis spread out her hands defensively.

"Ah yes, the infamous anonymous playwright. Now who was he, anyway, we never did learn."

"Neither did we... he wore a mask and met with us in alleyways. It doesn't matter to you though, does it?"

As if seeing the group for the first time, the man jerked his head towards Laeleslin. "What of the others? Who are you, elf? Surely Raelis did not hire you in the hope that you would save her?"

The ranger's voice was icy and threatening. "If you want these people you will have to go through me."

The man laughed throatily. "Fool! I don't need to involve you. Already I have the souls of these ones attuned. Let it begin!" The hum of magic filled the air and abruptly the bounty hunters disappeared, taking the bards with them, leaving nothing but the sound of the man's laugh echoing through the playhouse.

The spell holding the group in place ended and Aerie began to cry.

"Stop that," Laeleslin said dangerously, "the portal is still open... we're going through."


	12. Simply enthralling

Laeleslin's insides heaved as the conduit sent her reeling through the multiverse and abruptly she found herself within a huge, cavernous nexus that seemed to defy all architectural logic. There was no ceiling to speak of, nor could a floor be seen after dropping away from numerous walkways and paths that were pockmarked with strange, almost organic holes. The ranger sucked in the oppressive air, which seemed to carry with it a feeling of complete despair, and waited for her companions to follow her. The sudden clamor of angry voices was heard and before her materialized five figures from the semi-darkness.

"Listen you little maggot! I want to know how you got your collar off, right now… or you'll find there are far worse things than being a slave." A tall, snakelike creature flanked by three astral humanoids seemed about ready to beat the life out of a much smaller gnome. The gnome, who looked extremely haggard and worn down, stared up defiantly at the four warriors. Laeleslin quickly dropped back into the shadows as she recognized the group to be the bounty hunters who had so easily captured the bards.

"N-no! No! I don't care what you say; I won't be a slave anymore!"

One of the hunters pulled free a curved dagger and grinned. "Well if that's the way you…"

A sharp flash of light and a buzz of electrical energy announced the arrival of the remainder of the party and the group of mercenaries turned to stare at the spectacle.

"Ah, the primes. How foolish of you to follow your actor friends here. Even if you do manage to get past us, they will be gone within hours. Von'ith, close the portal please." The brilliant light was snuffed out and the place noticeably darkened, deepening the gloom. Laeleslin slipped back out of the shadows to join her friends, who stood, weapons drawn, ready to face the bounty hunters.

The leader, a slim, elven man, sneered, pointing his sword at the Bhaalspawn. "Do you have any idea at all where you are, prime?"

"I assume we're on another plane, waele uss." Viconia answered for her, voice sardonic.

He turned his eyes on the drow and returned her mocking smile. "Oh, you are a sharp one, prime. I'm afraid it is much, much worse than that. This place," he gestured behind him to the many catwalks and dropoffs, "is one of the finest prisons in the planes. There is no way out of here except at the whim of the cambion. What **fools **you must be to come here of your own volition." The others behind him chuckled. "No matter. I expect you'll bring a grand price from the cambion as new thralls. Hunters… take them!"

Laeleslin felt a sudden anger fill her, white hot and consuming. She would not be delayed. If these hunters cost her the opportunity to free the bards, to free Haer'dalis…

A high whistle sounded as Laeleslin spun backwards and released her sword, sending it tearing through the air to close the distance between herself and the closest hunter. With a choked cry, he fell to the ground and for a brief second, the others hesitated before charging into the fray.

Aerie and Viconia's spells lit up the battle while Minsc bore down upon the great snake creature. Laeleslin, eyes flashing dangerously, twirled and twisted with her remaining sword, a blur of metal and leather. After the last of the hunters had fallen, the gnome, who had taken the opportunity to seek a hiding place, stepped forward.

"I thank you, my friends, for your timely rescue. I'm afraid I did not give much thought as to what I would do once I had my collar off... It was foolish of me, I suppose, but I would rather be dead than enslaved to the cambion forever." The gnome's eyes searched furtively around the room and to the closed portal behind the adventurers. "There has to be another way out of here somewhere."

"What is this cambion you speak of, sir?" Aerie asked. She was clearly tired and just wanted to be through with the place.

"The cambion? The cambion, here, is warden of this prison. I know not his true name, but he is a cruel and evil master who delights in the suffering of his thralls." The gnome pulled at the fabric around his neck uncomfortably, and Laeleslin noticed the deep red gouges in the tender flesh. "The only sure way out of this planar prison is through the dark magic of the cambion himself. But I doubt he would transport anyone out of here willingly."

"You mentioned a collar… what did you mean by that?" Viconia asked, watching the ranger recover her second blade.

"The warden keeps a large number of slaves, here… prisoners that have been turned into thralls by a magical collar that they wear that controls them. They are next to impossible to remove. Mine had a small flaw in it, and I was able to squirm out of it not long ago… only to find that there was almost nowhere for me to go, here, and danger down every corner."

"Where is Haer'dalis and his troupe?" Laeleslin cut in impatiently.

The gnome turned questioningly to the ranger and shook his head. "You are friends of the actors? Ahhh…" he paused, trying to decide how best to put it, "you may as well begin mourning them, my Lady. They are in the warden's cells, awaiting transport to Duke Rowan's Tower, I am told."

"Just tell me where." The elf's voice was edged with steel and her eyes still fiery.

"Just north of here, down that hallway… But I would advise against going down that path… You will see on the floor markings that ta'anari have left with their magic," he warned as he pointed to the odd holes scattered throughout, "portals that transport you to the other rooms of this prison. The ones in the hallway to the north you can't avoid and they bring you to the barracks where the warden keeps his personal soldiers and thralls. 'Tis a most dangerous path to walk. There is another way to reach the warden… a safer way, perhaps, that may serve your purpose and perhaps mine as well. Might I tell you of it?"

Laeleslin glanced at the magical portals lining the hallway that led directly to Haer'dalis, not seeming to care how dangerous the barracks might be.

Aerie shot an uneasy look at her leader and quickly replied. "Tell us of it, please."

"The warden is powerful by himself, true, but he is also protected by the many thralls under his control through the collars they are wearing. The passage to the east," he indicated a narrow walkway off to the side, "leads to the chamber of the Master of Thralls… a lesser ta'anari who holds a device that I know allows him to control the collars. Destroy that device and the thralls are freed. The warden is vulnerable… and I will be able to contact my newly freed friends. Some of them are mages who may have magic strong enough to summon another conduit. As well, the portals on the floors to the east may be avoided… they lead only to other cells, I understand, and are full of naught but violent and dangerous creatures."

"Why do we not simply free the bards and your thralls and have them teleport us away? Why must we fight the warden at all?" Aerie absentmindedly traced the stumps of her wings, filled with unpleasant memories of another cage and other captors.

"There are many old and powerful magics in this prison, my friend. We might get away briefly, but the prison's magic would track us… and the warden would send powerful hunters very quickly. But the prison's magic dies with the warden. It is the only way."

"We will find this Master of Thralls, then, and offer him the cold justice of butt kicking!" Minsc declared, striding off towards the eastern hallway.

No sooner had the ranger taken a few steps than a handful of men drew into view.

"Strangers? Here? Run, strangers! We cannot control our actions so long as we wear these cursed collars!" Laeleslin, coming up beside her large friend, took in the group blocking their path with her sharp eyes and muttered under her breath "thralls."

Laeleslin and the others readied their swords, not about to turn back. For several long moments, there seemed to be a struggle within the minds of the prisoners. Then the will to fight the collars about their necks was gone, and they stared outat the adventurers with empty minds.

"We… we attack them! Attack them and kill them all!!"


	13. Moth to a flame

_Thanks Kitsune for the sleep spell idea; I hope you don't mind me using it. I had been mulling over how exactly I was going to handle the thralls. On the one hand, I know that Laeleslin would not stop for a second if it meant saving Haer'dalis. And on the other hand, I can imagine the Aerie of my story throwing a fit if her leader proceeded to kill the lot of them. I know I haven't had much to say lately, so I'll let loose now. I don't find it necessary to reveal every intimate detail about the main character in the beginning, nor do I care at all for stories in which the protagonist and romance interest throw themselves on each other right away. I refuse to prostitute, so to speak, my characters in doing so. For those of you that enjoy being able to grasp and understand a main character immediately, that's fine, this story is, of course, not for you. And to the readers who like my story, thank you for the time you dedicate to reviews. I enjoy hearing from you. As for this chapter, it may prove a bit violent for the G readers. And that last sentence means separate rooms. I can't emphasize that enough._

The air suddenly thickened above the heads of the thralls and abruptly the battle was over as soon as it had begun. The handful of prisoners dropped to the ground in slumber.

Laeleslin glanced over her shoulder long enough to see Aerie's beaming smile, the Avariel's hands still in the air from the sleep spell she had cast. Then the ranger was off again, leaping over the bodies of the slaves.

"Wait!" Aerie called futilely after the elf, examining a large, glowing brazier in the middle of the platform. White hot flames licked hungrily upward, as if waiting for something.

"We'll return to this later, wingless one. First, we must follow our ranger." Viconia beckoned the Avariel and Minsc in the direction that Laeleslin had disappeared.

The three ran on and Aerie, intent on rejoining the Bhaalspawn, lost her footing and skidded across the rough ground. It was then that she noticed she had almost run headlong into one of the magical portals placed to safeguard the prison. If she had not fallen… The cleric quickly got to her feet and continued on.

The sound of voices could be heard ahead and within moments, the catwalk had opened up to another platform. Laeleslin stood alone against a second band of thralls.

Aerie did not slow, but cast stun upon the hostile prisoners, who had just begun to advance on the ranger. Then they were running again, and soon the rank stench of death assailed them.

The path ended in a large room and guarding it were two heavily armed mages. Looming behind them perched a wyvern larger than any that had been found on the Prime Plane. Its heavily corded muscles rippled beneath armored skin as it turned its terrible head towards the intruders and fixed them with two crimson eyes. "Hmm… vermin, I see. Come, my pretty thralls. These are no escaped prisoners, these are invaders! We must destroy them for my master!" The creature spread its heavy wings and the poisonous barbed tail that made wyverns so deadly rose into the air.

Laeleslin was already moving, sprinting past the mages and to the wyvern. With a powerful leap, she was atop the stone that the beast was perched on, and then, like a madwoman, onto the monster itself. In the blink of an eye, the ranger had sheathed her swords into the spine of the beast. The wyvern spun and twisted in pain, then lifted its great bulk into the air, trying to shake loose the dangerous prime on its back.

Minsc swung his huge sword over his head and charged towards one of the thrall mages, who responded with stoneskin and a hail of magic missiles. Aerie breached the defenses of the second mage while Viconia's chanting words began to reach towards the planes of the dead, calling forth a handful of skeletons.

The wyvern's tail flashed downward twice, aimed at the impossibly fast creature that struck again and again. Then its scream rent the air as the invader plunged one of her blades within the depths of one ensanguined orb. Laeleslin pulled free her sword and leaped to the safety of the ground where she watched the wyvern careen through the air like a drunken bird, then fall crashing to the ground. It did not move again.

Minsc stepped back to catch his breath and let Viconia's skeletons overwhelm the enemy mages. Aerie and the drow were exhausted; a combination of the trip back to Athkatla, the strain of battle, and the struggle to keep up with their leader creating a blanket of fatigue, clouding their senses.

Oblivious to the strain put on the party, Laeleslin headed towards the single catwalk leading away from the wyvern perch, sidestepping a large portal on the ground.

"Laeleslin, we must rest." Minsc admonished, his back bent and his hands resting on his knees.

"The warden will not wait for us to rest." Laeleslin shot back, picking up her pace. The three jogged after her wearily.

They drew up short as a deep booming voice assaulted them. "You!" The voice resonated, accusingly. "You are the ones who have brought such disruption to this prison and my thralls, eh? This will be the end of that!"

Ahead of them, deep, swirling mist coiled and pitched together, then parted to reveal a fierce ta'anari. Cold fear swept through the members of the party as they faced the great demon. It stood taller than even Minsc, with short, powerful arms that ended in hooked claws and a muzzle that split to reveal razor fangs. A fine silver chain about the demon's neck ended in a glowing orb. This was the master of the thralls, set by the cambion warden to guard the slaves. The mists surrounding the ta'anari suddenly took form and flew towards Minsc and Aerie.

"Air elementals!" Aerie cried, staving one off with her staff. Minsc hacked at a second elemental, sweat pouring down his brow. Viconia and Laeleslin turned to the waiting demon.

Piercing eyes stared out at the two elves, mockingly. Then it lurched, lightning fast, towards the ranger, hooked claws flying.

Laeleslin dove aside, dodging the attack. Viconia's voice rose in a chant above the battle and the Bhaalspawn, leaping to her feat, felt a surge of power rush through her. She was protected from evil now, and threw herself at the master of thralls.

Light flashed as Aerie polymorphed the mists threatening to suffocate her, and Minsc at last dispatched the final air elemental. They quickly moved to aid the two elf women, who were locked in combat with the terrifying demon.

Laeleslin's swords flashed out, striking at the ta'anari's midsection, then at the exposed flank, as the ranger feinted and parried.

Spells from the drow, and then Aerie, hammered continuously into the angered demon. Arrows peppered the creature's body from Minsc's large bow.

And yet it would not die.

Laeleslin, too, was beginning to tire. She struck the demon's belly and danced away from the creature's claws, moving into a feint. But the ta'anari was waiting.

It spun around towards her, and this time, she was not fast enough. The demon snatched her up, hooked claws tearing.

Minsc cried out, dropping his bow and yanking free his great sword, catapulting his large frame into the back of the master of the thralls.

Demon and rangers toppled to the ground. Swords flashed and magic flared forth in a great rush of movement and then the demon was up again, throwing back the berserker warrior. But in the chaos of the assault, it had released Laeleslin.

The ranger's sides were crimson and wet, but she attacked with renewed fury, forcing the demon to give ground. Back she pushed it, onto the platform that had led the party hither. One last time she feinted, then took the demon's clawed feet out from under it, seized the fine silver chain in one hand, and shoved the demon back, to the waiting portal on the ground.

The organic mouth of the trap snapped shut and the ta'anari was gone, teleported to one of the many cells in the prison… filled with dangerous and bloodthirsty creatures.

Laeleslin looked down at the orb in her hand and a feeling of revulsion moved through her. She had been a prisoner once… but not like this. She had at least had control of her mind.

"Laeleslin, we have to destroy it." Aerie said as she took and examined the orb. Then she noticed the blood. "Oh my! Stop moving, Laeleslin. Sit down."

"What?" The ranger looked down and noticed her own wounds, "no, we have to keep going."

"How are we supposed to keep going if you die? Viconia, help me." Together, the two clerics forced their leader into a sitting position and began to administer to her.

"This is ridiculous," Laeleslin muttered. If Aerie didn't have those strength modifying bracers… She wrestled the orb back from the Avariel.

"You're being ridiculous, Laeleslin. You've been acting crazy since you got here. One would think you're in love with Haer'dalis, but we all know you have no feelings." Aerie was angry now, her voice scolding.

Laeleslin fell silent then. I have feelings, she thought to herself. Of course I have feelings… but not for Haer'dalis. She finished with the last part a bit too quickly.

When the women were finished, Laeleslin once again examined the orb of the master of thralls. "How do we destroy it?"

"There is a brazier back in one of the other rooms, abbil. The flames would be hot enough to shatter it, I would think." Viconia answered, gazing off the way they had come.

"Good, then. Take it there." She tossed the orb at Viconia, who barely caught it as she turned back around. The drow narrowed her eyes.

"You are mistaken, surfacer, if you are under the impression that I follow your orders like one of the little slaves running around here."

"Viconia," Laeleslin faced her, her eyes once again unreadable, "I know you are not my slave. We need that orb destroyed and you know where the brazier is. Please," she paused, and Viconia relented, "help me by doing this."

The drow turned and was gone, bearing the orb with her.

Minsc had picked up his scattered weapons and stood now facing the pathway forward. Laeleslin patted his back as she moved to stand beside him. They had been through much together; Minsc had been there almost from the beginning. She remembered the first time she had seen him: huge and looming on the bridge of Nashkel, his bald head shining in the sun… She pushed the memory aside. Those days were gone now.

A sudden clamor ahead filled the gloom and footsteps echoed behind them as Viconia rejoined the group. Without comment, they ran towards the sounds. Shouts and screams continued, followed by explosions that rocked the ground beneath their feet. A battle was taking place.

Laeleslin was the first to reach the fray. A large cambion stood in the middle of the platform, the bodies of his thralls scattered about him. The ranger fought back the rage that filled her. He had killed them all, every last one of them. The cambion wheeled about at the sound of the group's approach and pointed one hooked finger at them. A hateful voice filled their minds.

"Guards! The thralls are escaping, the fools! Call on the Master of Thralls… I wish to know what is occurring, here… I will tear this plane apart to have those filthy slaves returned! I will flay the skin from their…" The cambion's red eyes fixed on Laeleslin. The ranger was shaking with fury.

"You are not my guards… It… it is you! You are causing these problems!! I shall take the rest of eternity to make you **suffer**!!"

A brief smile flitted across Laeleslin's features and she nodded to Aerie. The cambion had just enough time to cast a useless spell before the Avariel had covered the ground about the demon with a deadly poisonous cloud.

The cambion screamed in rage and tried to wade towards the party, but was kept at bay by a sally of missiles and arrows. The vapors of the cloud surrounded the demon and seeped into his very body. Within moments, the mighty warden of one of the most secure prisons on the planes was dead.

Viconia cast zone of sweet air around herself and moved through the poison cloud unharmed as she fished through the warden's belongings. She held up a gleaming key triumphantly, and headed towards a row of cells lining the back wall. Four huddled figures stood clustered within, clutching the heavy iron bars. Laeleslin skirted the cloud and raced to join Viconia as she unlocked the cage. Raelis Shai stepped forward, her beautiful face weary, yet flooded with relief. "You have known us for so short a time yet you have bought our freedom with blood. My child, my friend," she amended, "it is a debt I can never repay."

Haer'dalis moved away from his bard troupe to face Laeleslin. The ranger stared at him, her eyes cloudy and filled with emotion. Her heart was racing, but she wasn't sure it was from the battle. She could barely catch her breath. Why did she feel this way? Because… he was leaving.

Raelis continued speaking. "We must go before the Duke marshals his forces. I will use what powers I have remaining to open another conduit. Are you ready, Haer'dalis?"

The Blade did not turn away from Laeleslin. He spoke, yet his eyes never left the ranger's features. "Miss Raelis… I--- I cannot come with you. Not this time." Laeleslin's heart stopped for just a moment.

The grey-skinned leader of the bard troupe wheeled about in surprise. It was then that she saw the placid, content look on Haer'dalis' face. "No? No more plays, Haer'dalis? No more theatre?"

The tiefling finally turned away from Laeleslin. "Raelis… I am just another moth too close to your flame. To love you is to smother that flame in my own death. I shall not do it."

"Don't be a fool, Haer'dalis." Raelis' voice was soft and sad. "There was no mystery writer of our play. I wrote that cursed satire, it was mine! I brought all of this upon us!"

"I know, Miss Raelis… I must do as I must…. Perhaps," he paused, his eyes finding Laeleslin's again, "Laeleslin will let me travel with her again, but the Prime beckons this sparrow, regardless." The ranger's stomach was doing not unpleasant tricks and her mind flew from thought to thought.

Raelis took one last long look at the Blade. "Then go, my lovely Haer'dalis…. remember us fondly in your musings. And you, Laeleslin," her grey eyes came to rest on the Bhaalspawn, "go with my thanks, and take yon lovely moth with you." She turned away and began to chant, then all was dark.

When the light came again, the party was within the safety of the playhouse. Haer'dalis stood before Laeleslin once again. "So my raven…" his voice sounded unsure "what will you have with me?"

The ranger opened her mouth to speak, but found no words. She couldn't even force her thoughts into submission, much less her tongue. There were lights dancing in front of her and she was far too exhausted and excited to articulate the disjointed feelings she had. Haer'dalis grinned suddenly and the two were released from the spell. "Well?" He stared into the elven woman's eyes, wide with emotion. Finally she spoke.

"I'll have you pay for some rooms; I'm dead tired."

Haer'dalis gaped for a moment at the unexpected response, then laughed. He walked upstairs and purchased five rooms for the night, chuckling all the way.


	14. And she smiled

_As a sidenote, after careful consideration, I have decided to change the demon that bore Haer'dalis to be his mother. I agonized over this for long periods of time, weighing the arguments as to what was probable and as to what Bioware intended. I reasoned this out with an older sibling, more experienced in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and finally decided to let the game's idea stand. Know though, that I put much thought into this and I thank most heartily the ones who corrected me! As a second note, while the elves may reach a physical maturity equivalent to that of a human of equal age early on, that does not mean they are emotionally mature. An exception, I will add, would be Drizzt Do'Urden... and Laeleslin._

The sun rose high over the Five Flagons and then sunk into the welcoming embrace of the horizon once again before Laeleslin stirred in the stillness of her room. She pushed the soft covers off of her and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

To a human eye, the room was completely black, save for a thin strip of light under the doorway. But to Laeleslin, it was a world alight with colors in the infrared spectrum. The elf's limited infravision allowed her to see patterns of heat in brilliant red and orange, the colder spots deep purple and blue. Along three walls of the room were clustered patches of light where fireplaces burned in adjacent rooms. Her own bed glowed warmly where she had retired the day before, and her feet left traces of crimson on the wood floor as she pulled on her boots and walked to open the door.

The ranger's eyes quickly adjusted to the bright torchlight of the Flagons and the colors faded back to the tamer visible spectrum. Laeleslin moved past the rooms where she knew her companions to be sleeping, took the staircase down to the bar, and headed outside to the night air.

Even after the sun had taken its leave of Athkatla, the streets were still alive with movement. Men and women of all sorts roamed the Bridge district, some without purpose, but all with the same downtrodden countenances.

Laeleslin frowned as she walked, longing for the clean, undisturbed forests she had come to cherish. The city had never been a refuge for her. Her home had always been Candlekeep, small, untainted, secluded. There had been peace there. In her first two decades of life, it had seemed a purposeless existence, moving from lesson to chore, snatching every moment she could to dream about the outside. But now, she looked back upon her time in the great Library as… complete. Gorion had strived to make it so. She flinched involuntarily at having brought her father up, but this time she did not push the memory away. He had brought her to Candlekeep to save her not only from the wretched world outside of those cloistered walls, but also to keep her from… herself.

No, she corrected quickly. Not from herself, from Bhaal. He was always within her… seeking to crush her will and poison her heart.

She stopped her walk on the outskirts of the Bridge district, where the night life had somewhat faded, and leaned against the dirty wall of a building, looking up at the skies. Parda had once told her stories of the heavens, in one of his more indulgent moments, telling of the great velvet curtain that veiled the heavens, and of the thousand pinpricks made by a golden needle of Selune, with the greatest hole being a place for her beautiful face to look down upon the world. Laeleslin knew they were just stories, and that Ao or Shar had more likely been the creator, but she still smiled every time she remembered the aged monk, his kind face close to hers, pointing excitedly at the night sky and whispering, lest the guards catch them atop the battlements.

Haer'dalis came upon her like that, his own eyes picking out the ranger in the bright glow of the stars. She took no notice of him, too enveloped in searching the depths of the heavens, her elven features bathed in moonlight. He had not seen her since he purchased rooms for the party. After that, he had gone to his own room to sleep, then spent the remaining hours of daylight at the bar, where he had spotted Laeleslin leaving.

She had the most beautiful smile, he decided that night. The way her nose crinkled up and her eyes sparkled with life, her lips arching dreamily. She was a child again when she smiled. If she had been pretty when dour and solemn, she was breathtaking when joyful. Haer'dalis sighed impulsively.

Laeleslin's eyed suddenly moved to where the bard stood, and the smile slowly disappeared. How long had he been there? And why had he come looking for her? Something had happened, she suddenly thought, and chastised herself for leaving in the middle of the night. "What is it?"

"I needed to talk to you." Haer'dalis replied, stepping closer to where she leaned against the wall.

Laeleslin relaxed again, his answer dismissing her momentary worries. But… what did he want to talk about?

"Are you thinking of Candlekeep?" The bard took a place next to her.

"I was," she said, looking back up to the stars. "You know… it's funny, I only spent a score of years there, and in elven years that is not so long, but I could not imagine calling any place home ever again." She did not laugh.

Haer'dalis raised one eyebrow. "You are only twenty years of age?" He hadn't thought her so young. The way she lived with such a grim and solemn face, he thought her spirit was hardened by at least a hundred years. In the life of an elf, a hundred years was almost adulthood. Laeleslin was just a child, he thought, remembering those two rare moments when her face had been transformed into a pixie-like countenance.

"Yes," Laeleslin said, finally moving her deep green eyes to the tiefling. Haer'dalis could barely hide a chuckle. "What?" she asked, seeing the laughter behind his eyes.

"You're so somber all of the time. That is no way for an elven child to behave. You must frolic and dance; be merry!" Haer'dalis was puzzled by the ranger's facial expression as she stared at him.

"There are many things that change a child," she replied, her voice soft and suddenly sad. "I was robbed of my childhood. I cannot go back to the way things were."

Haer'dalis was stunned. Such an open statement from the aloof girl was so rare. Only once had she spoken to him of her past so earnestly, and that had been briefly. He had not expected it to happen again. It struck him then like a blow to the head: she was not hiding anymore. He could see it in those deep, penetrating eyes. Whatever it was that kept her so curled up within herself she had released.

"What about you?"

"What?" Haer'dalis had lost his train of thought after having discovered the revelation.

"You seem to have seen more years than I." She was asking more than his age, Haer'dalis thought to himself. She was asking about his life. There was a tremor of uncertainty in the ranger's voice. She was sacrificing something, taking a risk in exposing herself. There was a long silence before he answered her. He would have preferred to keep such raw and personal memories from others, but something about Laeleslin's anxious question, as if she was afraid he would not answer, persuaded him to speak.

"In truth, I am barely older than you… I don't know the exact day of my birth, for neither of my parents did I ever see. Perhaps my mother did not survive long after my birth, but more likely it is that she abandoned me to my fate. Why the demon did not have the heart to kill me though, I can only guess." Haer'dalis paused, his voice heavy with bitterness.

"How do you know that it is your mother that provides your tiefling blood?" The ranger's question was no longer hesitant. The intense look in her eyes told him that she understood far more than he thought.

Haer'dalis raised his hand to point out the strange markings on his face; they were deep, ragged scars. "Only a demon would do such a thing to her newborn child. I do not celebrate the day appointed as my birth date that those who took me in gave me. Every year I am reminded of exactly what I am."

What Laeleslin did next caught the Blade completely off guard. Slowly, she raised her own hand up to gently trace over the scars on his face with her fingertips.

"Every day I am reminded of exactly what I am." Laeleslin said quietly. "I'm so very tired of having people look at me as if I were a monster."

Haer'dalis knew exactly the feeling of shame and disgust. That was what had driven him to Raelis' bardic troupe. At least there, with the entire group sharing tiefling heritage, he had not felt so alone.

"Do you know how all of my friends at Candlekeep died?" Laeleslin asked suddenly, her bright eyes shining in the starlight, her hand at her side again. The Blade shook his head.

"My brother, Sarevok, framed me for murders I did not commit. They… locked my friends and I up in the barracks and Ulruant, the Keeper of the Tomes, without even asking if I had done the deed, denounced me as a murderer and shouted, as if he were possessed, that I had brought disgrace upon Candlekeep… upon Gorion. He did not care enough about me to learn the truth. When a teacher of mine named Tethtoril had mercy on us and let us free, we had to run through the very catacombs underneath my home to avoid being hunted." The elf suddenly looked small and frail, her features drawn and haunted. "I saw my friends down there in those catacombs… friends that I had grown up with in the Keep who came to help me. But… when they reached for me to embrace…. I knew." A sudden tremor shook the ranger and Haer'dalis waited patiently, not having the slightest clue what she was alluding to. When Laeleslin spoke again, her voice was wracked with emotion and pain. "Their hands turned to clawed fingers before my very eyes! Their features distorted and melted away and they sought to tear my very life from me! Dopplegangers..." The word was like acid on her tongue. "While I was in that cell they had gone and taken nearly every last person I spent my first twenty years of life with… Nearly everyone…"

"Imoen." Haer'dalis felt a sudden pang of pain hit him hard. It hurt him to see her like this, he realized with a small amount of wonder. The others of the group had talked of her often, but Laeleslin had said very little on the subject of her sister.

The elf's gemmed eyes flickered towards the skies again, as if seeing another place. She drew in a long, tremulous breath, and then let it out again before continuing. "I couldn't save her this time though." She looked back at the tiefling and a tear traced its way down her pale cheeks. Impulsively, Haer'dalis reached out and wiped the drop away, his hand staying for just a moment longer.

And Laeleslin smiled.


	15. Seeing Red

_I know I have left this story unattended for quite some time, but know that it has not been far from my thoughts. On the contrary, I've been struggling with whether or not I should continue. Truthfully, I stopped writing because I was sick of reading reviews that all said the same thing long after I had responded and explained why I had done what I had done with my story. It makes me truly not respect reviewers when they put in something that I've already addressed. Now I understand that perhaps you do not agree with how I write or how I work out my characters. That's fine. Don't tell me about it anymore because frankly I'm sick of reading about it. It's not going to change. As for Laeleslin being a jerk… she's part god of murder and I'm very sorry that you want reasons for her being mean. In this chapter, she is taken back to who she was at Candlekeep, before all of her bad experiences, and yes… I actually did plan something like this from the beginning. Now I'm fairly certain that I'm ending this part of the story in this chapter. I have way too much on my plate at school getting my "affairs in order" before I graduate and go off to college and it's time I put some closure to this. This does not mean that I won't pick up where I left off over the summer, but I'm saying this part of the saga ends here. As some of the other chapters, this may less-than-light for sensitive readers._

Dawn brought light flooding through the glass window of Haer'dalis' inn room all too soon. He and Laeleslin had remained talking for several more hours before they headed back to the Five Flagons together and parted ways at the bar. Even after he was snuggled within the covers of his bed, he could not force his mind to quiet down. Thoughts of the mysterious Bhaalspawn flitted through his head and the night dragged on and on before he eventually drifted off.

The rest of the party was assembled near the exit when the bard walked downstairs, wiping sleep from his eyes. It seemed that the others had faired as badly as he had. Viconia and Aerie, who had lodged in adjoining rooms and had been woken by a brawl in the later hours of the night, found themselves unable to sleep. And even Minsc, who normally slept as a fool attacking a treant, tossed and turned over a bad meal. Laeleslin, on the other hand, was alive with exuberance.

"My raven." Haerdalis nodded to the ranger as he joined the group.

A brilliant smile flashed across the girl's face and there was a brightness in her eyes as she turned to her companion, taking him aback. "Haer'dalis, I'm glad you're up! Now we can leave!"

"What?" Aerie, Viconia and Minsc turned to look questioningly at the ranger's chipper behavior.

"Oh, sorry. I haven't told you yet. I decided last night; we're going to get Imoen."

Viconia mumbled something in Drow and Minsc scratched his head in consternation.

"Don't just stand there; let's go!"

Without a glance over her shoulder, Laeleslin left the bustling inn and was immediately hailed by a shout. "I trust you'll be keeping your weapons at your sides…" It was Lieutenant Aegisfield, a soldier that Laeleslin recognized from the government district.

"Oh I'm sure there are more important things than me for you to worry about." Laeleslin chirped sweetly and the others stared at her, aghast.

"Without question," Aegisfield continued, raising an eyebrow at the elf, who returned his gaze intently, "but I'm making it my business to warn everybody on the street tonight. With all your gear, you might look a rich target to the wrong person."

"Heroes of goodness need no warning!" Minsc cocked his head sideways at the line that should have been his.

"We've had a…" Aegisfield paused to select his words and Haer'dalis cleared his throat, put off by Laeleslin's erratic behavior, "a string of killings, and I don't want any more happening."

A sudden shadow seemed to darken the maiden's face and the smile etched on her features faltered.

"People die all the time. This is a dangerous age we live in." Aerie intoned, glancing back and forth from Laeleslin to Aegisfield.

"Dangerous enough for people who look for trouble, but when innocents… this is different. Murder, unlike any I've seen in years."

At the sound of the word murder, a tremor passed through Laeleslin's small frame and she turned to look at Haer'dalis, her eyes searching for something. The bard had no explanation for her puzzling behavior.

Aegisfield continued. "There's a disgustingly sick person out there and I simply don't have the manpower to protect everyone. He's been killing paupers," the Lieutenant's voice was filled with loathing, "sometimes in the alley where they sleep."

"Why would someone prey on the poor? What could they have to take?" Laeleslin interrupted, a bewildered look on her elven countenance.

"Nothing. They have nothing to take. He kills them and that is all. Not only is it pointless, but he does it in as painful a way as possible. He flays them… alive. There has been blood all over the area. Little Faraji, a local urchin, found the latest victim. I hate to think of a child seeing that."

"A child…" Haer'dalis heard Laeleslin say and in that moment he saw a glimpse of an elven girl in the dark of night, her terrified face turned back towards an armored figure looming over a lump of flesh on a dirt path as she fled into a countryside she had only seen from the shelter of ramparts.

"Enough of this," the bard tuned back in to the Lieutenant's words, "I must go about my rounds. If you find any information about the murders, be sure to let me know." Before turning to leave, Aegisfield leaned forward with a stern warning. "Don't go looking for trouble, though."

"We don't need to," Viconia scoffed as the soldier marched away. "It follows us like the plague."

"Laeleslin," Aerie examined her ranger companion, "are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Aerie. I'm feeling very well. Now let's go find that murderer!" Aerie returned Laeleslin's smile nervously and followed her.

"I thought we were going to find Imoen." Viconia spit, but knew that her leader's attentions were focused on the murders for the moment.

"Uh… this may be a bad time, but Boo says it must not be left unsaid, lest I be caught in a battle unprepared. My armor has begun to chafe and it is time that we purchase a new suit."

"I-I believe that there is an armor shop nearby." Aerie said, motioning to a cluster of dingy buildings east of them.

The troupe huddled into the dark storage house that bore the armor sign and was greeted by a surly voice from behind a dusty cabinet. The air was thick with the smell of tannin and something more pungent that Laeleslin could not put her finger on.

"I'm sorry, I'm closed at the moment. Come back when I've replenished my stock." A tall shadowy man leaned against the banister of a staircase leading down; his ebony eyes were fixed on a rack of tools on the wall. He did not sound sorry.

On a market day? Laeleslin thought to herself. He is either a bad merchant or… a bad merchant. No businessman or woman was unsupplied on a market day. No matter, there were other armor shops in Athkatla. She could hear her own heart beat in the room. She felt very strange.

"Sorry for bothering you." She responded and started to leave, then remembered her quest. "Out of curiosity, may I ask you a few questions about the murders? You wouldn't happen to be missing any tools would you? The victims were flayed, you see…"

"The guards have already canvassed the neighborhood," the tanner cut in, "so if you want anything, go talk to them. I don't know who or what you are, so I'm not talking to you."

"Believe me, sir, that we mean you no harm. But so many people have died… Could you not answer a simple a question?"

"I have told you my wishes and you will respect them. Get out of my store." The man stated gruffly and a warning siren began to blare in the ranger's mind. Something was not right here. The heavy smell of tannin and that other… scent began to overwhelm her, making her nauseous. She knew that smell. It was... blood. This might be expected from a tanner's shop, but the scent pulled at the senses and filled the mind… she had smelled the blood of animals before, and this was different… Her head throbbed in the stillness of the room and she could not catch her breath.

"Come abbil, we can get the fool's armor elsewhere." Viconia's voice barely reached the Bhaalspawn.

"Fiend!" Laeleslin suddenly shouted. The others in the room jumped in surprise, but the tanner kept his even gaze on the ranger and did not move. "It was you! You killed them all!" She pulled her long swords free and took a step towards the counter.

"Laeleslin!" Aerie gasped, trying to pull the ranger back. "W-what in the Gods' names is the matter with you!" The proprietor may be uncharismatic and rude, but that did not make him a killer! Viconia and Minsc too had begun to react to their leader's wild behavior. Haer'dalis stood motionless for a brief second. The way Laeleslin's eyes shone wildly in the dark room… he had first thought it was some form of sparkling life, but now… she was out for the tanner's death. He was moving to intercept her, when he suddenly caught sight of a glint of steel from behind the counter. He realized the tanner had been holding a weapon the entire time… and the way he stood there so calmly, as if he almost knew this would happen…

Before any of them could react, the man was gone, racing down the staircase beside him. And in a flash, Laeleslin pursued him, throwing off the others in a burst of strength. With no other choice left to them, the others followed after.

Haer'dalis' mind flew as swiftly as his feet. What in the Underdark was Laeleslin thinking? The way her eyes had glowed in that strange, wild way… He willed his feet faster.

He was running so fast that he didn't notice the others in front of him had come to an abrupt stop and slammed directly into the solid figure of Minsc. But the giant man did not even acknowledge him. His eyes were glued to the room the staircase had opened up in.

It was not hard to find the bodies, littered about the room as so much garbage. The way they had been mutilated made them appear as ragdolls, like flowers with all of their petals stripped away, leaving nothing but the stem and fruit. Splashes of vivid red had stained the walls and floors, leaving memories of the deceased in the wood of the building. But worst of all was the stench. It suffocated and stifled, and Haer'dalis fought to remain on his feet. He could see Aerie shaking out of the corner of his eye and Viconia drew out her mace to cover her own tremulous hands. Laeleslin had been right. How could she have known? The hollow voice of the madman tanner echoed upwards to them. "You should have run away, little fool!"

Then the ranger was moving again, past the bodies and the stench and over traps to the second stairwell beyond and the bard fought to keep up with her. She's out of her mind, Haer'dalis thought, in panic. She's going to get herself killed!

"No, you will have no victory here! Rejiek must work on!" A mage, thief, and several undead ghasts guarded the way forward, the way that the madman had fled.

"To the abyss with you!" Laeleslin shouted, madness in her own voice. "I am sick of hearing your excuses." With a reckless lunge, the ranger threw herself on top of the mage and began to hack into him with her swords. The mage's stoneskin and prevention magic were no use to a crazed attacker, but her fury had taken her away from the protective range of the party. Before the ghasts and thief could swarm Laeleslin, however, Minsc shouted a battle cry, waded into two of them and began to wreak vengeance for the victims above. Aerie and Viconia, with the assistance of Haer'dalis, finished the last of the ghasts in time to see an empty dock… Rejiek had gotten away.

Laeleslin's scream of anger reverberated through the cavernous room and fell silent. She pounded her fist into the wooden dock floor, splintering the planks beneath her punch. Again she punched the wood, and again until Haer'dalis was moved out of fear to stop her.

"Laeleslin!" He called in horror, taking her hands that he noted had begun to bleed. Her skin was hot under his fingertips; she was burning with fever! At his touch, the ranger's scream filled the air again; a sudden, harsh shriek, not one of anger this time, but of fear.

"Get away from me!" Laeleslin screamed, recoiling from the bard. "Don't touch me! Not again!" All eyes were turned on the elf girl. Haer'dalis didn't know what to do.

How long had she been like this? Since… this morning. Or had the fever been working its way through her body even before dawn? Had she been sick when they had talked last night? When she had opened up her feelings to him?

"She's feverish!" Haer'dalis whispered to the others, afraid of what Laeleslin might do in her illness. Aerie and Viconia quickly moved to the ranger's aid, but she ducked away.

"You can't have me again!" There was hysteria dancing in her voice and her eyes were lit brightly with desperation. When the two women tried again to grab her and Viconia managed to get her hands on her, Laeleslin lashed out. She hit the drow with force enough to lay her sideways, and Viconia spun back in shock as the others rushed to her aid.

"Irenicus!" Laeleslin's wail broke through to the night above.

In her madness, Laeleslin saw her hated attacker before her again. She thought she could hear someone familiar in the back of her mind, but the tricks of this mage knew no limits. When he reached for her again she fought back and was rewarded with the smallest amount of satisfaction to see him reel away in pain. But it did not last. Soon he was back and this time she could not stop him. She thought she heard his voice before the blackness overwhelmed her. No, not Irenicus' voice. Someone she knew and… cared about, she thought. She could barely remember. But then that too was gone, and she knew no more.


	16. The Abyss Within

_So I have returned, with a long stretch of summer before me. Warning, this chapter is not for the faint of heart! Part of this is inspired by the Scions of Shannara. _

Laeleslin could recall a time when there had been no dreams, merely the reverie. Only once or twice every few seasons could she admit to ever seeing visions when she slept. It was peculiar for any elf, but the monks at Candlekeep had passed it off as a consequence of being raised without the natural environs of the woods that elves so usually were accustomed to. Give it time, they had said. Perhaps with the years the dreams would come on their own. Or so they had told her. Nobody had ever suggested that perhaps the dark blood in her veins had anything to do with the absence of a complete reverie. Perhaps not all had known that she was a child of Bhaal. She had decided early on after learning of her heritage that, no, they could not have known. Only a handful had been trusted with the secret; Gorion, Ulruant, perhaps Tethtoril. None of the others could have known. They would not have showed her such kindness and affection had they seen what she was. They could not have loved her…

Eventually the dreams did come, but not until she had already left the safety of her home. And even then, they were altered somehow. She did not see the memories of her past as she should have, but instead saw premonitions, possibilities, whispers of things to come. Lies and half-truths thinly veiled with images of reality danced behind her open lids. The power in her blood worked against Laeleslin in her very sleep to allow Bhaal to commune with her, to try to twist her to his bidding, to give in to her dark nature. Bhaal did not succeed.

After Laeleslin killed her half-brother Sarevok beneath Baldur's Gate, the grip on the Bhaalspawn lessoned considerably. And for the first time in her life, her nights were filled with the magic of the reverie as it was intended to be. It did not last long.

Occasionally she still saw the nightmare of her capture by Irenicus as clear as day. They had left Baldur's Gate, the six of them, under suspicion that she was akin to Sarevok. How her heritage had been revealed was a mystery, but fear that the city would turn on her once again proved enough incentive to hit the trail. It had been her watch that night as they camped somewhere back from the road in a stand of trees. Minsc, a giant of a man to her, lay curled in a ball with Dynaheir nearby, her spell book propped open in her lap as she slept. Jaheira and Khalid lay back against a tree side by side. And Imoen, ever faithful, had tried to brave the watch with her but had fallen asleep only half an hour after the moon rose. There was never peace for them, but there was always a lasting sense of companionship. None of the close-knit group knew it at the time, but they were sharing their last moments together.

Her mind had been working furiously that night, turning over the maelstrom of feelings caused by Sarevok and the destruction he nearly created. She had killed her own brother. Granted, as it would be she had a larger family than most could ever boast of, but he shared her bloodline. It could never be said that Sarevok had been an agent for good, or that he even sought neutrality. He was evil to the core, and wished to offer the sacrifice of thousands to somehow assume Bhaal's portfolio, to become a god. There had never been a choice for Laeleslin but to put an end to the threat he posed to the Sword Coast and to a greater extent, the world. But that night she wrestled with the question of whether or not there could have been another way. Exhausted by the recent ordeals and her mind's busy course, Laeleslin began to doze.

They came while she rested. Figures cloaked in mist and shadow, blurring the lines between reality and consciousness. There was only the sudden frantic knowledge that they would be overtaken as they woke before darkness stretched out ahead in a long unbroken line.

Some nights Laeleslin could still hear the soft rustling of chains that first woke her to the nightmare she was in. It took a long time for her vision to return to her, for her eyes to adjust to the dingy grey light, caught between the visible and the infrared spectrum. A feeling of growing horror threatened to sweep the elf away as she slowly became aware of her situation. Heavy iron bars rose up in every direction and while she remained personally unfettered, she was not capable of moving. Magic, she thought, feeling the pulse of energy in her head. A shuffling, scraping sound came from somewhere behind her, but she could not turn her head to determine the source.

Other less ambiguous sounds drifted within hearing range; the steady drip of water, a stubborn door being opened and closed, and disturbing screams of pain and terror. The horror rose steadily. Where were her companions? Where was her sister?

That was the first time she heard him speak. He greeted her everyday in the same manner. "Ah, I see you have awoken." Something about that voice was terrifying. It was cold, and completely devoid of emotion. The sound of it crawled under the skin and lodged somewhere beneath, creating a forbidding chill that would not dissipate. Her stomach began to twist inside of her.

All at once the man was there. He had not approached nor had he stood before her the entire time, Laeleslin was certain. He had just… appeared. His build was smaller than a man's, elven perhaps, but he was certainly not sylvan. His muscles were too large, to the point of being grotesque, to belong to an elf's slender frame. His apparel was odd and tight-fitting, a long, seamless piece of cloth that was colored in various drab shades of gray and brown. His loose pants were cinched at the waist by a wide leather belt and traveled down to a thick pair of boots. He had a mask on, she noted grimly, as she moved her eyes over the thin patchwork material hiding the man's face and finally his eyes. The pulse in her head suddenly intensified as Laeleslin met the man's gaze, and she realized that all other sounds she had listened to so fixedly before had fallen silent. He was watching her intently, like a man of learning might… an animal, two hard blue orbs keenly taking in everything. Those eyes were… cold and… soulless. She didn't know why the word popped into her head, for she knew that all living things had a soul.

At first the reasons for his profound interest in Laeleslin were unknown. He would appear, speaking more to himself than to her, and proceed with casting spells of every nature at her. He began slowly, with lesser spells and cantrips, observing the various effects and levels of pain it put the ranger through, almost as if testing her limits, occasionally laughing as the helpless girl struggled against her invisible restraints. Then he worked his way up through the wizard spell book, each time watching the elf carefully for something beyond Laeleslin's comprehension.

Then he would leave as quickly as he came, leaving the ranger seething both outwardly and inwardly, decorated with a fresh set of scars and burns. Sometime later the magical chains would loosen, allowing her only enough slack to feed herself with the food the wizard sustained her with, always leaving her groggy and with little choice but to sleep. When she woke, her wounds were always healed. But the scars remained.

The first night she was there, she had tried calling out for help, to anyone. Perhaps the magical nature of her cage prevented her attempt at communication, or possibly there was nobody to hear her cries of distress. She had even attempted to speak to her captor for a while, to question him, to curse him. But he responded only with mumbles to himself and a sally of spells.

For a while she kept track of the days by a small circle of light let in by a hole far above her. It gave her something to do besides hate. But as the days dragged on she found the latter a far more lasting pastime.

Then one night the routine changed. She looked up blearily, having already consumed the dried meat and a bit of water, the magical force tight against her, and he was there, staring down with that same look of fascination and revulsion.

Laeleslin pitched forward in her cell and her face met the clammy surface of the floor.

_What?_ Laeleslin's mind beat against the fatigue dulling her senses and tried to sort out what had happened. She had fallen forward. The mage had released her from the magic holding her. She struggled to gain her feet but her muscles would not obey her. _Gods_, Laeleslin thought, vainly trying to lift her head. She stared at the booted feet of her captor, confusion and fear racing through her useless body.

"What are you going to do?" The words escaped her lips in a slurred attempt at speech, but as usual there was no direct response.

"You're not as pleasing to look at as the others, but you shall do." That's when she knew her fate and the struggle to stand was renewed. The iron bars before her creaked open and she felt powerful arms lock around her, lifting her easily off the floor and into the air. She absently noted that the fabric covering the mage's powerful upper frame was not tight-fitting multicolored cloth at all, but his own skin, and that the mask must be his face as well. "Struggle if you must," his voice sounded harsh in the still of the dungeon, "you shall not escape."

Laeleslin obliged by fighting back with all of her might as he carried her without effort through rooms and corridors to an unknown destination. But either the drugs in her food were all too effective or the man had managed to paralyze and sedate her by the force of his magic and she could not bring herself to move. Slowly, Laeleslin began to lose consciousness. By the time the mage stopped, the ranger was out cold.

A dull murmur whispered through the darkness and small flashes of pictures and images displayed themselves before Laeleslin's eyes. Unpleasant sensations wormed their way into the ranger's brain and created a throbbing pain at the back of her head. She became aware that her life had shifted far out of her control, but she worried more for the safety of her comrades than for herself. If she died, so be it. Death was just a part of life, after all. Laeleslin could accept her own demise without too much struggle. The more she thought about it, the more she didn't mind the thought of it. After all, she was a monster, wasn't she? This mage would be doing the Realms a favor in killing her, wouldn't he?

But Imoen and the others, they deserved to live.

A sharp sting knifed through the elf's contemplations and she was suddenly awake again, bringing her bolt upright. _I can move_, Laeleslin thought triumphantly, her eyes searching the room as soon as they came open. Three large, beautiful trees stretched overhead, creating a patchwork of symmetrical limbs and golden leaves above her. The rich smell of earth surrounded her. There was no sign of the mage, but she had no doubt that he was nearby. He would not have gone far.

Laeleslin wiped away the blood on her face irritably and her attention snapped back to herself as the past several hours came back to her in a flood of memories that left the ranger on her knees in the earth, trying to keep from losing the contents of her stomach. She put her face in her hands and began to sob.

The dull sensations and voice drifted back as she checked her clothing. Her armor and weapons were gone. But she had already made up her mind to kill him. The captor had made the mistake of releasing her so that he could… what? Remember how to feel, Irenicus' dryads had said several days later. Well she was going to make him regret dearly the decision to do so. And then she would kill him.

She found the mage only moments later, sprawled on the comfort of a silken bed in a room adjacent to the beautiful trees. The man didn't even look at her, merely smiled without emotion as Laeleslin took two strides towards her foe and leaped, preparing to throttle the life out of him with her bare hands.

With a single word from the wizard, Laeleslin was thrown back and her head collided with the stone wall with a thud. Fire shot up and down the ranger's spine and she desperately fought back against the growing darkness. The mage leered over her menacingly and the elf's field of vision narrowed.

"My name is Irenicus, and you are nothing to me."

When Laeleslin woke again, she had been returned to her cage. He never brought her to the forest room again, but once had been enough. She would relive it a thousand times over through the reverie. For months afterwards, the girl recoiled from the slightest touch and every hand was that of Irenicus'.

Something had changed that though, the thought drifted to Laeleslin in her feverish sleep. Someone had become… important to her. Every so often she had coherent thoughts that moved between her dreams. She was supposed to be somewhere else. She wasn't supposed to be here, so far down in her past. There were people waiting for her, she sensed more than thought.

She remembered the confusion and rising hope in her when she saw Imoen for the first time since her imprisonment. Irenicus had just left in the middle of the ritualistic magical torture and Laeleslin was beginning to come to her senses again when she saw a flash of pink hair and suddenly her sister was there before her, picking open the lock to her cage with ease. Her sister was alive and she was free! The magical bonds holding her were released when Imoen tripped a switch in an adjacent armor and weapons room and the two quickly found Minsc and Jaheira nearby.

Laeleslin's rage grew tenfold at the news of the death of sweet Dynaheir and when they found the body of Khalid she was ready to tear the place apart in search of the mage, who they had not found yet in their search of the dungeon. She knew her companions were nearly broken by the loss of two of their own, but she would not leave this place until she could put her swords through Irenicus.

When they finally stepped free of the dungeon that had held them for so long, Irenicus was waiting for them. And instead of getting that wonderous taste of revenge that Laeleslin had been waiting for, Irenicus disappeared, taking Imoen with him.

Imoen had been the last meaningful thing in her life. Now there was only hate.

That dark, hard emotion that rose up inside like storms of black waters, covering everything until there was no goodness left. There was no compassion, no sympathy. No love.

Only hate.

Funny, the way things had turned out, the thought made its way to her. Jaheira had left. Aerie, Viconia, and Anomen had come and there was also…. Laeleslin drew a long blank and sought to find the name of the other.

For a while she thought that the hate had begun to lose its footing inside of her, that the waters had begun to recede. Someone had seen through her to her very being; seen past all of the hate to something Laeleslin had believed lost. He had reached down inside of her and lit a fire to drive back the darkness. Her thoughts fumbled over each other for a name or a face. But the effort soon expended itself and she moved on.

In Candlekeep she had possessed such a strong sense of justice and right and wrong… that young child of the Library would have hated who she had become. The world had destroyed her innocence, stained her hands with blood, and left her nothing more than a beast set on revenge. But had the world done that or had Bhaal? Perhaps she had been that way all along. She prayed to Mielikki that it was not so.

The first time someone had tried to kill her because of what she was had been laughable at best, but nonetheless scarring. At the time she didn't know it, but it was because of Bhaal that he tried to take her life. He wasn't the last. So many others came to know and hate her because of that dead deity. Over time she grew accustomed to the pain. But now she was tired.

She was tired of being who she was; tired of the constant struggle to face the monster inside of her; bone weary of the hate and fear that constantly surrounded her due to the blood in her veins. But she knew that would never go away. It would be with her until she died.

Every now and then she could hear voices or see the cool darkness of a foreign room, with the occasional face looking at her. But it was not the hardened, staring visage of Irenicus leering over her, but always someone else who Laeleslin could never quite place.

"She's resisting the magic." She heard one of the voices say, a husky, feminine alto.

"I-it's almost as if she doesn't want… doesn't want to come back." Another said, this time a soft, high-pitched sound.

She saw them through the holes in her memory. One had beautiful ebony skin and perfect elven features with a shock of white, almost blonde hair. The other was a childlike sylvan girl with wide eyes and hair the color of sunlight tied with colorful ribbons. Playful makeup decorated her face in the manner of a circus. She knew they were trying to help her, trying to bring her back. But she couldn't bring herself to care.

Sometimes there was a very large man with a bald head and kind eyes. A warrior, something told her. He never spoke to her, but instead stroked a tiny ball of fur sitting in the palm of his massive hand.

She recognized them, but could not find their names in the banks of her mind.

And then there was he.

A lithe creature of beauty and mystique, the man seemed to float between her lapses of consciousness. His face was chiseled and interrupted by scars and marks that to the elf only heightened the aura of mystery around him. Shoulderlength grey-blue hair curled softly around his high, pointed ears studded with golden rings. Heavy eyebrows were set over a pair of striking wine colored eyes.

There was something intriguing about him, something that captured her attention and held it. She tried to reach out to him sometimes, to speak to him, but she always failed. Drifting on a sea of thoughts, she floated farther away and so did he.

The man kept returning, though. A slight pressure on her hand, the gentle, soothing sound of his voice, all let her know that he was there. While he was near, the dreams stopped and she thought she could begin to remember who they all were, who he was.

But there was a longing inside her as well to sink back into her past, to see the happy times before all of the pain began. She knew that she could dive back in forever…

But always as she was closest to the oblivion within herself, he stopped her. While she yearned for the cool darkness of her memories, something about the light in his voice pulled her towards him. There was warmth; there was life. Why was he doing this? Why wouldn't he just let her go?

"I wonder if she dreams where she is…" The childlike voice echoed in her mind.

"She sees her past…" he was speaking, she knew. "She sees the memories of her lost companions." She couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but she wanted him to keep talking. She wanted the rushing in her head to stop so that she could listen.

"Laeleslin," his soft whisper was close now. "Where ever you are, don't be afraid. We're waiting for you here," he paused, getting even closer to her, "I'm waiting for you."

The words seemed to be in another language, but if she just could open her mouth and speak, she knew he would understand her. If she could make the sea stop pitching, she could swim back. She urged the memories back into the darkness and struggled towards the bright lifeline on the horizon.

"I'm waiting for you," the voice repeated, and the words became clearer.

As she reached for that shiny thread of hope and finally wrapped her hands around it, the name returned to her and her lips shaped the word even as she slept.

"Haer'dalis."


	17. Sinking Ship

When she said his name he knew that she would be fine.

She had been gone for a solid week, lost somewhere within her fever. The magical cures Viconia and Aerie administered proved to be of little use, and so the small group had huddled inside the Five Flagons' room, waiting for the fever to burn itself out. It was as if her soul was struggling deep within her against some unperceived threat. Was it Bhaal? Or was she just tired of carrying the burden her life had become?

She lay there on the bed, eyes wide and unseeing, like death itself.

Sometimes she mumbled indecipherably and occasionally she thrashed against the sheets. But for the most part she just lay there.

It was the first time he saw the scars.

Aerie and Viconia had removed her armor, leaving her light tunic as they wrapped her in medicated salves. He had caught glimpses of them on her fair skin as they worked; deep gouges and burns covering a great deal of Laeleslin's body. They were horrendous and without even knowing why, he seethed with rage.

Who had done this to her?

Something told him there were more on the inside.

It was also the first time he heard of what happened inside the dungeon; Irenicus' dungeon. It was when the fever was the worst that she spoke of it: garbled sentences and frantic whispers. Haer'dalis felt guilty hearing Laeleslin's confessions. If she had wanted him to hear, he thought bitterly, she would have told him willingly. But he didn't blame her for having said nothing before; it was a memory anybody would be unwilling to share.

It was every night during his watch when all others had fallen asleep that he spoke to her. He didn't know why he did so. But without fail, with the passing of every moon, he found himself at her side, his hand on hers, his eyes watching intently for any sign of improvement or change. He wasn't aware of the things he said to her. He spent the hours thinking.

His life had been nothing but going from one meaningless adventure to the next; all of the plays and performances, Raelis and the covert crusade against Duke Rowan Darkwood. For the Doomguard he was willing to give his life. Death was inevitable. His tiefling blood provided his fatalistic mentality, Raelis had said.

Tiefling. The word was a curse to most races. It was one of the many things he shared with Raelis. But love was among them.

He had always known that the bard was not his. And truthfully, he had not wanted her. Raelis' beauty was a distraction, a façade that was put up to confuse and fascinate. But there was nothing there. She was like the incantation to an illusion or a bit of perfume in the air.

Why had he spent so much of his life with her then? Because it was an adventure.

Meaningless.

She had never said that she loved him. He had never lied to her. By being completely honest with each other they managed to maintain a relationship that was devoid of sharing and empathy. There could never have been love.

He had meant every word when they last parted. _"I am just another moth too close to your flame. To love you is to smother that flame in my own death. I shall not do it."_

To love her would have been death, for both of them. The only love he could have borne her would have been destructive beyond question; a jealous, unrequited farce of devotion that would never be complete. He didn't know how he came by that conclusion. He just did.

He blamed it on his mother that it was easy to be unattached and just as easy to forget. If there were never any ties then it was all the easier to accept oblivion; a basic precept he had found in the Doomguard.

Everything changed when he met the Prime.

_Laeleslin_, the name whispered through his mind… like the sound of tinkling bells or of rain going pitter patter through the forest canopy. She was different… she was… so akin to him that he could feel her within his very veins. She was a dark flame that burned even when he dreamt. And it frightened him.

He had never known this spreading warmth inside before. He had no words with which to describe his emotions that made sense.

That too perplexed him to no end. Haer'dalis was a bard of no small talent and language was a way of life. The tiefling could pour out silver and gold from his mouth had he the desire to, and yet he could not find a way to express the jumble of thoughts and feelings working through him.

Laeleslin stirred in her sleep, her brow furrowed in some unknown thought. The bard reacted hesitantly, reaching forward to feel the line of her jaw. It seemed to calm her and soon she relaxed again and lay still. Yesterday had been the break in the vigil, when she had come out of the fever, but the ranger had slept on deeply with no sign of waking.

"Laeleslin." He called her name softly, knowing she could not hear him. Perhaps it was for that reason that he spoke at all. Surely he couldn't begin to sort things out while she was awake. But during this time he could fumble over his words without fear of her reaction.

"My raven…" he quickly glanced around at the sleeping bodies of his companions and then back to the motionless girl prostrate before him. "When I am with you… I feel… alive, though there has ever been life in my bones. I feel complete. No, there has never been anything missing." Haer'dalis sighed in frustration, running his free hand through his hair and moving his thumb over the ranger's calloused palm. His heart was beating against his chest, anxious inside of him. He knew he wasn't making sense.

"You have to understand… you baffle me. I feel like a dolt when I speak to you. I fear what you think of me; I plan out what I say hours before we talk. You're… inside of me and by the gods I cannot make you leave…. You're everywhere. Every song seems made for you… every beautiful thing. And this defies all logic. This… whirlwind inside of me boggles the mind. I feel everything all at once and yet I don't know what it is that makes it so."

"Squirrels don't live in swamps, Minsc." Laeleslin mumbled in her sleep, surprising the musing bard.

"No, my raven, they do not." Haer'dalis replied, moving his eyes over her smooth countenance. _Despite all of her strength, she's helpless, _he thought.

More than anything now Haer'dalis wanted her to wake. He wanted to see the way her eyes lit up when she spoke and her terrible frown when she was angry. The bard wanted to see her look at him, to hear her speak to him. He wanted her so badly to get up from the sickbed, sling on her pack and weapons like nothing had happened, and stroll casually out the door for the next adventure.

He had heard of these deep emotions before, sang of them often. He turned each one over and examined it as a child might a treasure. Finding them a growing part of himself was certainly a frightening realization, but also one of great wonder.

Haer'dalis the unattached suddenly found himself anchored to a sinking ship. And he wasn't sure he wanted to break free.


	18. Rebuilding the Broken Place

She awoke sometime after Haer'dalis had nodded off. She lay very still for a moment, her eyes resting on the bard's cramped frame in the wooden chair next to her bed. Soft morning light had just begun to drift lazily through the windows to lightly kiss the top of Haer'dalis' hair… He was so close to her that she could hear his breathing and see the slow rise and fall of his chest under his tunic.

Soundless, she untangled herself from the bed sheets and found her pack. A quick glance revealed the others scattered across the room, all asleep. She didn't know how long she had been out, but her dreams had given her more than enough to think about. She had picked through her memories one by one until she had exhausted her store of them. And with steely determination, she began to lay out her plan of action…

Imoen.

She had wasted enough time running about here and there; it was time to focus on what mattered to her.

She glanced back at Haer'dalis and allowed herself to smile.

The ranger strapped on her armor and relaxed under the familiar weight of the leather, then fastened her weapons securely in place. No one heard her leave.

The sun was slowly filling the room with its warmth when Haer'dalis opened his eyes to find the bed before him empty. A sudden surge of panic turned his blood to ice as he scanned the room; she had awoken and he had missed it. And she was gone! He leapt from his seat, ignoring the pain in his muscles, and was fumbling to put his boots on when the suite door opened and Laeleslin entered, nibbling on a hunk of cheese.

Their eyes locked. For a brief moment, the seconds slowed and seemed to enclose an eternity of dreams and beauty.

To him it was music and poetry… the way words danced, flame-like through the mind and across the tongue. To her it was the stillness of the forest… the ancient trees slick with silvery dew in the morning air.

"Laeleslin, thank Baervan! You're awake!"

Laeleslin choked on the cheese and Haer'dalis teetered over, boots in hand as Aerie woke the others with her joyous exclamations.

They all greeted her in their own fashion. Viconia nodded curtly and muttered something about it being time. Aerie continued to throw in thanks to the Wild Wanderer and Minsc nearly crushed her in his bear-like arms. But Haer'dalis just stood there, staring at her in a manner that confused her. She understood the others. But him, standing there like that, his eyes lit and those dreamy lips curving slightly upward…

"You wouldn't believe the trouble we went through to wake you up. Nothing was working, we tried every salve, spell, and spice." Aerie chirped while she flitted around the ranger, putting her hands on Laeleslin's forehead or humming a tune.

"We're going back to Gaelan… we're going to get Imoen," Laeleslin said quietly, aware that the last time she had announced her intentions for rescuing her sister she had not been in the best state of mind.

Minsc, Aerie, and Viconia silently turned their eyes to her and noted the ranger's calm face and steady gaze. Without another word, they began to pack their belongings.

She had turned to pay the innkeeper for their stay and was already out of the room when she felt rather than heard Haer'dalis behind her.

He did not touch her but she knew. She could hear his heart beating in the darkness of the hall. A gust of wind closed the door loudly, breaking the silence.

"I waited for you… I- I sat by your bed every day and night, waiting for you." Haer'dalis' voice did not have its usual confidence; he sounded uncertain. He spoke so softly that only she could hear. The words sank down inside of her, so far down that they reached the broken place, the part of her that she had shored up long ago with rock and timber. And when his voice had nested inside, bypassed the barricades, it glowed, giving off a soft light.

"I know…" She heard herself say. She had remembered him from her fever… his kind voice and eyes. But most of all, she remembered that it was he that held her back from the darkness and hate within.

All at once his arms were about her and his lips on hers as she turned into his embrace. No words were said, no memories of Raelis or Irenicus wormed their way into their minds.

"I have to find Imoen," Laeleslin murmured as the two held each other.

"And I'm going to help you find her," Haer'dalis whispered, running his fingers through her auburn locks, cherishing every strand of hair as if it were the finest gold.

And as they stood there, alone in the dark hallway, the light within grew brighter and the only sound was the creaking of stones and timbers being thrown back.


	19. Linvail's Lair

The dirty wooden frame rose up out of the slums like a broken dollhouse, gloomy with the weight of the depression that had settled over it. But to Laeleslin, standing with the others in front of it, Gaelan Bayle's home was a shiny beacon of hope that led to Imoen.

The thief was waiting for them inside, his abode far less shabby than the house let on. Laeleslin had been here once before, desperate to find her sister. Gaelan had promised her the path to Imoen… for a price. Not having the hefty sum asked by the thief, the party had sought adventure to raise the needed gold. The ranger recalled how fervent her desire had been to follow after Imoen and Irenicus, near to hysteria. Now Laeleslin was controlled and calm, but her will to find her childhood friend was as intense as ever. And this time she had the money.

Coins jangled against each other and a small leather bag landed at the thief's feet. "Here is your payoff, Bayle," Laeleslin said, watching Gaelan collect the payment.

"Coo," the thief responded, feeling the weight of the bag in his hands "I don't need to be counting it out. Just so you be knowing, you be goin' to the Shadowmaster Aran Linvail."

"Finally," Minsc roared, "we may get down to the butt kicking business!" The bald warrior lifted a nervous Aerie into the air and spun her about excitedly.

"Step carefully, me Lady," Gaelan warned Laelelsin, glancing sidelong at the beserker ranger. "The Shadowmaster does not suffer fools gladly. Here," he said, handing her an unremarkable package. "… a key to the Shadowmaster," Bayle explained. "Find the secret door on the first level of the Shadow Thieves' guild in the Docks."

Laeleslin turned to go, her mind racing ahead. She had suspected that the Shadow Thieves were the only ones in the city with power enough to oppose the Cowled Wizards. She was getting closer now… she could feel it. But the closer she got the more intense the danger would become. What darkness lay waiting ahead? "As unlikely as it seems," Gaelan's voice called her back as she left the house, "the Shadow Thieves will prove to be the least of all evils you will encounter."

While she wondered at his final warning, Haer'dalis moved to walk beside her. The two didn't say a word as the party backtracked through the slums. They walked so closely that Laeleslin's armor brushed up against the bard's elven chain mail with every step.

Minsc glanced over and his eyes sparkled with mirth when he saw the two together. "Look Boo," he whispered to his hamster with a smile, "our little friend has finally grown up."

The dirty cobblestone streets of the docks were the same as those that ran through the slums. The air was different though, Laeleslin thought to herself. Where were the children running and playing? She already knew the answer though. They were inside their homes, afraid of the corruption and vice outside.

Laeleslin led the party through the streets and alleys and into the dimly-lit Shadow Thief headquarters, watched by every eye in the place.

While she had come to know the guild hall well enough, Laeleslin kept her weapons at the read, leery. She had no qualms with thieves… but these were keeping too many secrets for her liking.

She had heard the rumors of another guild rivaling the Shadow Thieves. Who in Athkatla hadn't?

Somewhere out there was a mysterious upstart guild luring members of the Shadow Thieves to their own ranks. The fighting was evident. Bodies of thieves were not new to the Coin City, but now the streets were seeing more than their share of dead pursecuts. And then there was the fighting itself.

The first time the group encountered it had been their very first night out of the dungeon. Laeleslin, Jaheira, Minsc, and Aerie had just tied up the business at the circus and were leaving when several hooded figures rose out of the night shadows.

The rogue Shadow Thieves had been easy enough to dispatch… but the members of the other guild had a strength that was not of this world.

The ranger's thoughts faded as she approached the false wall leading to the inner thieves' sanctum. Running her hands up and down the door, she at last found the lock under a clever bit of molding and slid the key inside with a loud click. The door slowly opened inward with a soft groan…

The cold stone hallway led on through the darkness. Laeleslin glanced at her companions as she walked on. Minsc, her dear friend, was mumbling to Boo in the half-light. The berserker warrior's devotion to her and Imoen was clear; Laeleslin knew he wanted Imoen free of the Cowled Wizards as much as she did. She moved her eyes to Viconia and smiled. The drow priestess carried herself proudly, as always. She had a debt to pay Laeleslin, but the ranger had little doubt that Viconia would have followed her anyways. Aerie drew the Bhaalspawn's gaze next. The avariel's slight frame trembled in the gloom, but Laeleslin doubted it was the cold. She knew that the mage held no love for the close confines of dungeons and warrens; her soul was meant for the sky. Though Aerie did not know Imoen, she stood with the others out of friendship and gratitude.

And then there was Haer'dalis. He walked close by, his eyes straight ahead. Before, she might have questioned why he was here. She had saved him twice now, that was true enough. It seemed she had a habit of saving people. But the bard's personal philosophy was bound with the strange notion of entropy. All systems were in a constant state of decay. Nothing was changeless, everything was working its way to the end. In short, the group was bound to go separate ways. It seemed unlikely that he would find a reason to stay. But he had.

And she didn't question it.

The tunnel abruptly spilled out into a dimly lit room. "Hmmmm…" a soft, low purr was heard and a woman stepped out of the shadows beside the door. At a cursory glance she appeared to be a noblewoman. But something about her voice betrayed her for a harlot. Her dress was opulent enough for a duchess, but the neckline dropped far below the mentionable level. Her hair was neat and kempt but her face was painted in a slightly garish manner. At first, Laeleslin thought that the woman had addressed her. But she moved right past the ranger without looking and placed her body in front of Haer'dalis.

"So you're that adventurer that Aran was talking about." She was close to the bard, close enough to make Laeleslin nervous. The woman placed her dainty hands on Haer'dalis' chest and purred again. "My, my, but aren't you a cutie! I just love pretty things… don't you think I'm pretty?" She giggled girlishly and smiled coquettishly at him. Without missing a beat, Haer'dalis flashed a smile back and asked politely for the Shadowmaster. Laeleslin just stared in disbelief.

"Aran's in his chambers, yummy little man… go ahead and talk to him. I'm finished with him… for now." She repeated the little giggle and pointed towards a door along the wall as she slunk away. Every eye watched her as she swayed back and forth and retired in a chair, her skirt hiked up just high enough to reveal her small elegant ankles. Every eye except for Haer'dalis'.

As soon as she had taken her paws off of him he had silently let out a long sigh of annoyance. He could see how men would go for a woman like that, but to him it was nothing short of unappealing.

Laeleslin headed wordlessly towards the door the woman had indicated. Though she would never admit it to herself, she was seething. She noticed that her nerves and muscles were tense, and that she distinctly disliked that woman, but she would not concede to herself that she was jealous.

"My raven," Haer'dalis said as he moved to walk beside her.

Laeleslin was suddenly struck with a strong desire to avoid eye contact. Instead of answering him, she pushed open the door that led to Aran Linvail.

The corridor was long and dark and the party followed close behind one another. Laeleslin shut out all thoughts of the prior confrontation and concentrated on what lay just ahead. She would need her wits about her when facing the Shadowmaster of Athkatla.

Soon she would have her answers about Imoen.

They finally reached Linvail's quarters and entered. It was a beautifully lavish room… well-polished marble and carpets from Kara-Tur, a large bed with silken throws, a personal bath and row on row of books. Right in the thick of it stood Aran Linvail.

Like his mistress, Linvail was dressed in the finest: a flawless suit of chain mail gleaming under satin robes. Laeleslin suspected that the luxurious clothes and abode were meant to fool others into underestimating the thief. She was willing to wager that those who did wound up face down in the sewers.

"Welcome to this place," Linvail greeted her. "I've looked forward to seeing you. I am, as you know, Aran Linvail."

_He wants to play polite, does he?_ Laeleslin thought to herself. _I can play that too_. "My thanks, Aran," she replied, smiling with all the gentility she could muster. "What would you have of me?"

"Right to the point, eh? That is fine with me." Linvail seemed to relax under his armor as he looked carefully at Laeleslin. "You seem a very capable person, and I wish to propose a trade of services."

The ranger suddenly grew impatient. She had waited months to find her sister and now she was trading barbs with a man who wanted still more from her. She had just shelled out ten thousand gold pieces; she had already paid her end! Laeleslin said nothing for a moment, letting her anger recede. Linvail was watching her carefully… it would not be wise to lose her temper. She returned his gaze, coolly. The Shadowmaster was the one in control here, not her. If she didn't watch herself she could lose the offer Linvail had extended… she could lose Imoen.

"It sounds good," the Bhaalspawn responded at last, hoping her voice was free of the irritation she felt, "though I must see to Imoen. What do you propose as a deal?" If the huge amount of gold had only been the start of the deal, Laeleslin dreaded the final tally.

"First and foremost, you will be compensated for the gold you have paid," Linvail said, as if reading her thoughts. "I will give you several magical items; they are yours to keep regardless of what comes."

Laeleslin swallowed another wave of anger. She didn't want the magic items. She wanted her sister. The line in her jaw tightened as she listened to the thief.

"Now I know you are eager to set off after Imoen," Linvail continued, "and I assure you that the time will come soon. It takes time to allocate the funds however."

Laeleslin said nothing as she stared at the Shadow Master. She was beginning to lose her temper again. A woman's life was in danger and he was playing games with her.

"Not too much time, I hope." Aerie said nervously from behind the ranger, filling the silence. Laeleslin quickly refocused and finally managed to stow her feelings. Linvail talked on as if he had not noticed the ranger's silence, but he undoubtedly had.

"I know you are tired and have worked hard already. I apologize, but this guild war… it prevents us going further. Strange things are afoot on the Docks. Shipments are disappearing, as are my employees with them. We are significantly weakened by this," Aran confessed, candidly. Laeleslin had suspected the guild business would surface some time or another… and she could see where this was going.

"I think it unlikely that you would be captured or wooed to the enemy," Linvail seemingly mused over his statement. "If you go to the docks and bolster the guard on the shipments, it will strengthen our position." Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Go at night, and you will find my present guard captain there already; a woman by the name of Mook. Take note of anything odd that happens and report to me."

Laeleslin nodded at him without saying a word and turned to leave. "Oh, and the bonus we talked of," the thief called her back. Laeleslin turned and saw a box at Linvail's feet that had not been there before. "Take these items," he gestured to it. "You will find them useful, I am sure."

Night closed over the group as they exited the guild hall and made their way to the docks. Thick, heavy fog rolled in from the sea and blanketed the streets, muffling the sounds of their boots scuffling against the stones of the street.

The ranger was so focused on what lay ahead that she didn't notice that Haer'dalis was talking to her until he touched her elbow. She turned her eyes slightly towards him but did not respond. She could not afford to be angry about Linvail's harlot now.

"Do you really think you should be jealous?" Haer'dalis asked quietly. The Bhaalspawn's jaw tightened again.

"I'm not jealous," she hissed back, and was surprised at the anger in her voice. The bard was looking at her keenly, waiting for something further. At last Laeleslin sighed, "I didn't like her touching you."

"That makes two of us, my raven."

Laeleslin finally turned her head to look at the tiefling. His wine dark eyes stared at her intently and his lips were curved upwards into a smile. In that moment all resentment towards the woman melted away. What she saw in those eyes lay aside all doubts.

"Lae, that woman has no mystery in her at all. Her body and spirit are on display for all the world to see. But you…," the tiefling's voice grew even softer and the night seemed to close about them, separating them from the group. "Your soul holds more mysteries than the deepest ocean… You are what I want."

In the stillness of the fog, the ranger's hand slipped into the bard's.

Somewhere in the darkness of the night Mook waited for them… and so did the vampire.


End file.
